Exchange Student
by Tori Rex
Summary: The world beyond the borders of the Elemental Countries hold many wonders. Naruto's world is turned upside down when an outsider comes to join Konoha's shinobi ranks. Strange powers and stranger connections are revealed. NarutoxOC
1. The Stranger Appears

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language right now, but there is a possibility of lemons later.

Chapter 1:The Stranger Appears.

Naruto woke that morning like any other. His alarm clock chirped its happy song, until it was rudely interrupted by Naruto's hand smashing the snooze button. He sat up and began his morning routine. A few push ups, a few sit ups, a quick shower, then breakfast. Naruto wasn't planning on doing much today. It was a day off between missions. His only real plan was to go spar with Bushy Brow until lunch. There was only so much 'Springtime of Youth' Naruto could handle in one day.

"_**I have no idea how you possibly tolerate that boy."**_ The Kyuubi stirred in the back of Naruto's mind.

"_I so do not want or need your opinion."_ Naruto mentally spat back at the Kyuubi. The outbursts from the Kyuubi had become more frequent and at times when Naruto didn't need the Kyuubi's input.

_[START: FLASH BACK_

Naruto was facing off against Lee. They were sparing like they did in the early hours of the morning when both of them had a day off. Lee came at Naruto with a series of kicks and punches that Naruto managed to barely dodge or block. The blonde boy took his stance ready to take after Lee. His concentration on Lee was flawless.

"_**If you attack on his left side where he is weakest you can do the most damage. And if you kill him, I may actually be proud of you for once."**_ The Kyuubi chuckled inside Naruto's head and slipped the blonde a small amount of chakra.

Naruto obeyed the Kyuubi with out thinking and attacked Lee on his left side where Lee was a little slower. The Kyuubi was right. Lee had been slower since the fight with Gaara. Even after the miracle surgery performed by Tsunade Baa-Chan and three years of training, Lee had never quite recovered his speed. Only a few people knew it. Naruto was one of those few.

The blonde boy sped up his movements with the Kyuubi's borrowed chakra. Naruto easily over powered Lee and caught Lee with a chakra enhanced right cross into Lee's jaw. Lee flew back about 10 feet and lay out cold. Naruto's deep blue eyes widened and his thoughts turned inwards to the Kyuubi.

"_Why in the hell do I listen to you!?"_ Naruto mentally screamed at himself more than the Kyuubi.

"_**Get over it brat. I'm stuck here till you die or let me out. If you don't like my influence, then don't listen." **_There was a low maniacal laugh._** "Even better, let me out, then you won't have to worry about it anymore." **_There was evil growling chuckle.

_[END: FLASH BACK_

Naruto had grown used to the Kyuubi making snide comments here and there. He could ignore the snide comments. However, there were times when Naruto would be in the heat of battle, or even while sparring lately, that the Fox could make a suggestion and Naruto would listen and obey without hesitation. That scared the blonde ninja more than anything in this world.

Naruto stood wrapped in a towel after his shower staring at himself in the mirror. He was having narcissistic moment. He fluffed his hair and tried to comb it, but it merely puffed back out again. He shrugged at himself and grabbed his trade mark black and orange track suit, along with his forehead protector. The blonde one made himself a quick breakfast and was out the door.

It was a nice spring day and the clouds were rolling by. The sun was bright and the breeze smelt of sweet cherries. Naruto headed towards the small dojo on the edge of the village. He really wasn't paying attention to much. He was too busy looking at the sky. The clouds were fluffy and white against the blue of the sky. Naruto mused about Shikamaru's favorite past time. _Maybe it wasn't so bad to stop and watch the clouds roll by._ He watched as a few very fluffy clouds passed over head and he started to think of Sakura. His eyes drooped a little and he started to drool.

"_**Please… I may metaphorically vomit. First the mirror, now your mind wonders to that pink haired human. Speaking of that pinked haired human… When are going to bed her or any other lovely for that matter?"**_ The Fox grined.

Naruto quickly came out of his daydream. _"Sakura is hooked on Saksuke. I am just happy that we are friends, and that's the end of that."_ Naruto's harsh tone made it clear to the Fox that Sakura was a soft spot that he could toy with.

"_**Let me teach you some Genjutsu Brat, and she will never remember that traitorous asshole. No woman could resist you after what I could teach you."**_ The Fox's grin widened.

The blonde boy stood stock still in the middle of the road and stared at the ground. His teeth locked in a grimace and his fists clenched. A few people on the street stopped and stared at him. Some afraid of him, some merely curious as to why he had stopped.

"_Shut the FUCK up. Go back to that gutter of cage. Stay there and ROT!"_ The Fox winced at Naruto's thoughts, but didn't show it. If the Brat ever figured out that he was in the BRAT'S head, he would be in trouble, but until Naruto figured it out, the Fox was safe to toy with him.

"_**Have it your way Brat… For now… But remember, it is the gutter you keep me in. And you wonder why Jaraiya's habits have rubbed off on you."**_ The Fox's evil laughter faded to the bowels of Naruto's mind.

He hated that damn Fox. He hated it more and more every day. It may be handy at times when things looked bad, but it wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth the jeering, teasing, and horrible nightmares the Fox would delight in showing Naruto. The Fox had shown him countless villages and people the Fox had destroyed for the simple pleasure of causing death, doom, and destruction. The Fox enjoyed toying with Naruto. It was the last of those pleasures that the Fox had left.

Naruto began to walk again. He was shaking with anger. The Fox had plucked a nerve. He looked at the sky again. Only a few moments had passed, but it had felt like hours. The blonde thought he best train alone this morning. He was a bit worked up, and didn't want to risk hurting anyone because he was angry with his inner beast. Naruto shook his head to clear his mind and started to walk again. SMACK…THUD The blonde boy hit the ground.

Naruto shook off the collision and looked around. He was looking for Sakura in fear she might have found out about the Fox's offer to teach him Genjutsu. He looked up into the deepest pair of brown eyes he had ever seen in his life. His focus moved into a better perspective. The girl was taller than most girls he knew. About 160 CM and long black hair tied back in a thick braid. Her skin had been generously kissed by the sun and she wore cut off jeans that hugged the curves of her hips. Her t-shirt was cut at the mid drif and there was evidence of a chain mesh shirt under that. She had a kunai holster as well as a knap sack, but there was no sign of a village insignia.

Some of the contents of her knap sack has spilled out onto the street. She was picking them up and rambling about being "Such a klutz."

"I am SOOO sorry! I should have been watching were I was going." The raven haired girl apologized with her back turned to Naruto. She turned and reached for a scroll. After a few moments she noticed a hand holding the scroll out to her. It had landed close to the blonde boy on the ground. She looked from his hand, to his strong looking arm, up his lean chest to meet his smile with her own. She felt like a little school girl when she was met with deep blue eyes and a smile that made her swoon.

She took the scroll from him and skin met skin. There was an electric shock of energy that passed between then. The blonde boy shivered at her touch. The raven haired girl flushed a mild pink.

"Thank you." She smiled sheepishly and took the scroll from him. Naruto stared at her blinking now and then to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Training with Jaraiya, he had seen girls before, but not like this one. This one was different. She had made him shiver. She continued to re pack her knap sack for a moment, then stood up, smiled at him one last time and waived as she started to run up the street towards the Hokage bulding.

Naruto sat stunned on the street watching her run out of sight. He was curious about the stranger, but he needed to train. Her appearance had made him forget about the fowl mood the Fox had put him in. _Wait a second, BUSHY BROW! Bushy Brow had mentioned something a few weeks ago about an exchange student from one of the other countries. That HAS to be her._ He rubbed his hands together rather deviously, he was going to go beat Lee until he told him what he wanted to know.


	2. The Stranger Purpose

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language right now, but there is a possibility of lemons later.

Chapter 2:The Stranger Purpose

"_MAN was he CUTE! If he was just a sample of what this backwards town has to offer, than this trip might not be a total loss after all."_ Myra ran towards the Hokage building, glancing back over her shoulder at least once to see if the blue eyed hottie was still watching her. She was late, very late in getting to the village. There was no real excuse for her lateness; except she had gotten separated from her 'guides'. They went off one way and she went another. Next thing she knew she was lost in the forest. Good thing her relatives had the good sense to teach her the language. Myra could speak it really well. It was the reading she had problems with.

Myra skidded to a halt in front of the Hokage Building. She looked up at the very top of the building and the tree it next to it. At the top she could make out two large black birds sitting on a window sill.

"Now I find you!" she yelled to them. The two birds dove off the window sill in a flutter of wings and circled each other as they came down to their master. The large black raven landed in the tree just to Myra's left, the other slightly smaller raven landed on Myra's outstretched arm. She stroked its feathers gently. "I'm glad that I found you." She chided them. Myra turned to the sound of a bang and a puff of smoke. When the smoke had cleared a tall man with white hair and a mask stood before the startled girl. He smiled under his mask and spoke with a soft calming tone.

"You must be Myra Ravenheart." Kakashi pointed to the ravens, "Your friends arrived here early this morning with out you and the Lady Tsunade was about to send out a search party." Myra let out a sigh of relief.

"I am glad I finally made it. For a while there, I didn't think I would ever get here." There was relief in her tone and a bit of exhaustion. She had been pushing herself hard to get to the village. There was a part of her that really wanted to get this whole 'training' thing over with. She appreciated the idea of getting to travel to a different country, but she didn't understand why it had to be here in Konohagakure. Why couldn't she stay in America? Just what was her Father and Grandfather trying to get her to learn anyway.

_[START: FLASH BACK_

Myra stood in cabin doorway looking rather angry.

"More jutsu, what the hell do I need to learn more jutsu for?" Myra conveyed to two men sitting on the floor around a small fire.

The oldest of the men spoke first. "Because it is these people that can help you harness your powers. You have learned all you can here from me. There is more knowledge that you can obtain from Princess Tsunade and her people." The old man puffed on his pipe.

The younger man spoke in a consoling tone "Honey, I know that you didn't choose this life. It was sort of put upon you. I know that you want to be a normal girl. But the fact of the matter is you have a gift that no one here understands or knows how to teach you to utilize better. If you want to learn more you must go. Besides, it is customary for the next leader of the clan to go." The man stood and hugged his daughter. "You must do as Grandfather and I ask. You must go to Princess Tsunade and learn from her and her people. They are the key to achieving your full potential."

Myra looked at her father with tears in her eyes and hugged him. Then she wiped her tears and turned to her Grandfather with resolution.

"I will go Grandfather." Myra bowed her head and continued to shed tears. "I know no one can go with me, but may I take Ed and Poe?" she looked up with her brown eyes pleading.

The old man puffed on his pipe again. Then he blew out the smoke and watched it swirl. Even a man as old as he was could not resist a look like that from her. "Yes child. You may take them with you. They will help guide your way. But be careful my child, Ed has a nasty temper when you do not feed him well. Poe will pull out your hair if you do not pay her enough attention."

Myra's face broke into a smile. "They only do that to you Grandfather."

_[END: FLASH BACK_

Kakashi could tell the girl was contemplating something important. He waited for a few moments and coughed a little to bring her out of her thoughts.

"I think it is time we went up and met with Lady Tsunade." His smile was still beneath his mask. Myra nodded and moved the raven on her arm to her shoulder. The larger raven took flight again and headed back up to the window sill. There was another flutter of wings and the smaller raven left Myra's shoulder to join its friend on the sill. The monumental climb to the top floors, where the office of the Hokage was located, became a little tedious for Myra. She thought _"Ed and Poe have things way too easy." _

Kakashi and Myra entered the office of the Hokage. Myra was panting a little, but she had a smile on her face. The raven haired girl turned to an older woman with blonde hair and brown eyes looking a little annoyed. The two ravens had perched on Tsunade's desk and were making a mess of things.

"Edgar… Poe… Get off the nice lady's desk. I am here safe, no thanks to you two. So much for being my guides. Go out and play I will call for you later." There was a rush of wind and a flutter of wings. The two ravens whooshed out the open window and out of sight. Tsunade looked less annoyed, but was now cleaning up the mess left by the ravens. Myra smirked and stood there for a moment while Tsunade gave her the once over.

"So you are the Ravenheart?" The blonde Hokage asked with a tone of finality. The impressive woman looked stern and like she was disappointed with Myra. Myra was a bit nervous.

"Ye – yes. I am Myra Ravenheart. And I have come to Konohagakure to be under the tutelage of the Great…" Tsunade interrupted the planned speech.

"No need for ceremony here child. I know very well why you have come to Konohagakure. You are a little late to start your training as a genin. So I am not sure why you have come." Tsunade had an icy chill in her voice. Myra felt a little relieved. She wasn't going to have to train. They were going to send her home. _"Maybe they will let me stay and sight see for a while?"_ Myra was trying to look serious, even though a smirk broke the seriousness of the situation. She wasn't going to fight with the big boss lady.

"I am sorry that I am not worthy to be trained. I guess I will just take in the sights of Konohagakure and be on my way. Can I go now?" Myra said with a hint of sarcasm. Tsunade's eyes widened and Kakashi coughed to cover up the laugh. The blonde Hokage squinted at the tall girl.

"You aren't getting out of this that easily. I know your father, and I know your grandfather. Your father achieved ANBU Captain before he was summoned back home. Your Grandfather was a great healer and helped build the hospital to what it is today. If you are anything like they are, I am sure you are a very talented shinobi." Tsunade scolded the girl.

Myra fumed for a moment. She didn't like being compared with her father or her grandfather. She wanted to be her own person. She didn't want to be what someone else thought she needed to be. Myra closed her eyes for a moment and calmed herself.

"So there is no chance that I can get out of this training thing? I am stuck here for the next 5 or more years?" Myra sighed.

"I am afraid you are here until you learn what you must, or you die, which ever comes first." Tsunade's tone lightened. "But I have only heard of your abilities from correspondence with your father. Both the teachers and I would like to test those abilities to better gauge what level you are truly at. SAKURA!" Tsunade yelled. Moments later the pink haired girl entered the office. Myra and Sakura looked at each other. It was an uncomfortable moment for Myra.

"Yes Ma'am?" Sakura turned to the Hokage.

"This is Myra Ravenheart. Take her to the dorms. We have an apartment ready for her. It's right next to Naruto-kun's." Tsunade kept her serious tone. Kakashi was still trying not to laugh uncontrollably. "You have the rest of the day to rest and prepare, tomorrow we will test your skills." Tsunade smirked with anticipation.

"Right… I can't wait…." Myra looked crest fallen. "_What the hell ever. I guess I'm stuck. Well I will go rest and figure out how to escape later."_ She turned to Sakura, who had her head tilted slightly to one side. "Take me to my prison." Myra paused for a moment. She needed to snap Sakura out of that staring spell. "Hey! Oh mighty Pink One… Let's move out." Sakura's eyes widened and her fists clenched. Sakura liked this new upstart for some reason. It was a core feeling. Sakura knew that this new girl was going to make things interesting for sure, but Myra was going to annoy a few people in the process.


	3. Green Blurs and Black Feathers

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language right now, but there is a possibility of lemons later.

Chapter 3:Green Blurs and Black Feathers

Naruto darted into the dojo to find Lee doing his customary vertical push ups while waiting on Naruto. Lee was counting as usual. "4996, 4997, 4998, 4999, 5000!" Lee sprung from his hands and flipped to a standing position.

"Good morning Naruto-kun, and what a lovely Spring morning it is." Lee smiled cheerfully. Naruto looked egger for knowledge.

"Bushy Brow! What do you know about the exchange student?" The blonde was blunt as ever. Lee blinked at Naruto in silent confusion.

"I do not know of any exchange student Naruto-kun. Is there an exchange student?" Lee continued to stare in confusion. Naruto grabed Lee by the shoulders and shook him rather violently.

"You were saying something about an exchange student last week!" Naruto let go of the green clad boy. It took a moment for the stars to clear out of Lee's head.

"Oh, that exchange student. Well, I do not know much. I only know what Gai Sensei told me. The new student should have arrived last night. She did not arrive on time. They were planning some sort of search for this person. That is what Gai Sensei said this morning. According to Shizune, in anticipation of the student's arrival there were several of us put on the mission list as 'stand by' until the student was tested." Lee explained.

"Tested? How are they going to test her?" The blonde ninja contemplated aloud.

"Has the student been found?" Lee asked.

"I think I ran into her on my way here."

"A kunoichi from another country. What a fine way to test the skills of another country. Push our ninja skills to the best or our ability." A starry-eyed Lee started to ramble about youth again. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Bush Brow! Snap out of it. We need to find out more about her. How can we test her abilities if we don't know what they are?" Naruto contemplated.

"Is it not the point of being a shinobi, to keep your jutsu secret until the very last moment. Knowing her abilities would not be a challenge to us, or her." Lee pointed out. Naruto nodded in hesitant agreement. There was a flap of wings outside the dojo, and both ninja noticed the presence at the same time. It wasn't a threatening presence, just unknown. Lee and Naruto dashed out the doors of the dojo. They managed to scare two very large black ravens back into the trees.

Naruto eyed the raves suspiciously. The two black birds had flown into some near by trees and disappeared into the foliage.

Edgar and Poe observed the two shinobi from the shadows of the trees, keeping out of sight of the two. Lee and Naruto moved around the clearing listening and watching for the birds. Neither kept the black ravens out of reach of their heightened senses. _There is something oddly familiar about those birds, _Naruto thought. He knew they were in the trees watching him and Lee, but he didn't know why. Naruto shot a look at Lee, the green clad ninja nodded in silent agreement. There was something fishy going on.

"Should we try and catch them?" Lee whispered to his friend. Naruto smirked deviously.

"You think your that fast?" A foxy grin crossed Naruto's face. Seconds after the notion was verbalized to 'catch' the birds, the smaller of the ravens moved from its position to another across the grove of trees. Naruto looked at Lee with mild annoyance. Even Lee was a little concerned with the move.

"Do you think they know what's going on?" Naruto asked Lee.

"A challenging idea indeed." Lee gave Naruto a toothy grin. Lee's face became serious and he flickered out of sight for a moment. The green clad shinobi reappeared centimeters in front of the larger raven. There was a moment where the raven and Lee stared at each other. The raven did not even blink. It pecked at Lee's forehead breaking Lee's concentration, causing him to crash to the forest floor. The raven flew off almost laughing in its call.

Naruto went after the smaller raven. The direct approach didn't work any better. The smaller raven evaded the blonde ninja easily, taking a bit of his blonde hair with it. Naruto and Lee met in the center of the grove. Both looking a little bit annoyed about being shown up by a pair of "FILTHY FEATHER BRAINED ANIMALS!" the blonde boy screamed.

Lee had a red spot in the center of his forehead and Naruto sported a small bald spot on the side of his head. Both of the boys were panting slightly.

"Maybe catching them isn't such a good idea after all Naruto-kun." Lee looked at his blue eyed friend. Naruto glared back at him.

The two large ravens fluttered from the trees and landed at the boy's feet. Edgar and Poe were clearly mocking them, and they were enjoying every minute of it. Edgar, the larger of the ravens, walked slowly toward Lee. Poe, the smaller of the two, kept her distance. She tilted her head from side to side getting a better look at Naruto. She was observing him and his movements.

Lee looked at Naruto clearly confused by the birds behavior. Lee had taken his eyes off of the large raven. Edgar pecked at Lee's exposed toes. The green clad taijutsu master winced at the pain in his toe. Edgar fluttered away. This time Naruto heard true laughter coming from the bird. Poe continued to tilt her head back and forth looking over the blonde ninja. Naruto started back at her. _Maybe I can stare it into submission?_

"_**I doubt that"**_ The Fox yawned in the back of Naruto's mind. _**"Are you done playing with the vermin?"**_

"_I don't need your advice."_ Naruto continued to stare at the raven.

"_**And miss an opportunity to watch you be humiliated by my kin? I think I will stick around just to watch you fail."**_ Naruto took notice of the Fox's words.

"_Kin? What do you mean by kin?_" Naruto kept up the stare with the raven. Lee continued to chase Edgar around the grove to no avail. The Fox Chuckled.

"_**You are hard headed sometimes Brat. I think I WILL stay out of this and be entertained by your misfortune."**_ The Fox laughed and the echo of his voice vanished. Naruto changed his tactics and reached for the raven slowly. Poe didn't move. She merely straightened her head to look directly at him. The blonde reached into his back pocket and pulled out a package of crackers and unwrapped them. He slowly moved closer to the raven and held out his hands with the crushed crackers in his outstretched had.

Poe beamed at the blonde boy and hopped onto his hands.

"_These are not as good as the ones my master has, but they will do._" The strange voice inside Naruto's mind startled him. He jumped. In a flutter of wings and wind; the crackers spilt to the ground. Naruto was about 4 meters away from Poe who had landed near the crumbs and was pecking furiously.

The commotion between Lee and Edgar stopped as the crackers hit the ground and Edgar joined his mate pecking on the ground. The two birds squawked at each other as they pecked at the ground.

Naruto looked a bit confused and poked at the back of his mind where the Fox had retreated.

"_Ok you damn Fox, explain what you meant by Kin."_ He spat at the Kyuubi.

"_**Must you ruin my nap? I was getting in a bit of entertainment before I dozed back to sleep."**_ The Fox yawned uncaringly.

"_Explain."_ Naruto added more force into his thoughts.

"_**Why is it Brat, when you want something from me I am supposed to give all that I have? I am expected to pay rent for my imprisonment in this Hell. I can't call it Hell… I would be able to get out of Hell."**_ The Fox chortled.

"_Is there a part of EXPLAIN you didn't understand."_ Naruto asked again.

"_**You are a persistent Brat. They are spirit guides and familiars. Rather old ones at that. Only one clan I knew had ravens as pets. But that was long ago before I was imprisoned. I haven't seen anyone from that clan in a while."**_The Fox yawned again and the voice was gone with a note of finality. Naruto sighed. That was all he was going to get from the Fox, so he didn't press further.

Naruto looked over at Lee who was trying to sneak up on the birds again. The blonde boy put his hand on Lee's shoulder to stop him.

"I don't think we have to try and catch them any more. I think they belong to the girl." Said Naruto.

Edgar had finished his last bit of cracker squawked something at Poe. The large bird spread his wings and fluffed out a bit, then took flight towards the village again. Poe hopped up to Naruto's shoulder this time and her soft voice came to him.

"_Thank you for the fun and the crackers."_ She deposited a small red stone into his hand and flew off. Naruto stared at Lee still a bit confused by the whole morning of events. Lee was also a bit confused by the whole thing. Naruto shrugged and turned to his friend.

"I think I am going to go back to my house and start my day over. Then maybe it will make sense."

"Naruto-kun, I think that is the best idea you've had all morning. I too will go back to the beginning and try to make sense of this morning." Lee chuckled and walked back into the dojo. Naruto shook his head. It had been a weird day. And it wasn't even the afternoon yet.


	4. The Stranger Secret

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language right now, but there is a possibility of lemons later.

Chapter 4: The Stranger's Secret

Sakura and Myra had left the office of the Hokage. Tsunade turned to the Copy Ninja.

"Well, what do you think Kakashi?" Tsunade asked.

"I will know more in the morning when we test her. But just from her personality, we may have another Shikamaru on our hands, one that is a little more 'troublesome' as he would put it. What has her father told you about her abilities?" Kakashi nodded to the letter open on Tsunade's desk.

"In his letter, he said she had mastered taijutsu and the basics of ninjutsu. Her genjutsu abilities are untested and unknown. And of course she knows the Ravenheart clan jutsu." Tsunade had sat at her desk. She had leaned forward and was looking serious at Kakashi.

"You never explained to me why the Ravenheart clan sends the next leader here to Konohagakure. I once asked Captain Ravenheart why they came here once a generation. He only told me a story of his grandfather coming here for more knowledge and falling for a kunoichi from Konohagakure." Kakashi smiled.

"It's a true story. Myra's great grandfather came to Konohagakure just after the village had been established. He had been traveling to learn more about healing jutsu from all over the world. This was before the times of war and suspicion. He wound up here in Konohagakure. My great uncle welcomed the Ravenheart to our village and taught him much about healing. The Raventheart even learned to love. He took a bride and the both went back to the Americas where the Ravenheart took over leadership of his clan. Because of his wife's heritage and the friendships the Ravenheart had forged, it was decided that every generation, the next leader of the Ravenhearts would travel to Konohagakure to be trained as a shinobi. This would give the new Ravenheart the opportunity to connect with his/her family here in Konohagakure and be able to become a strong leader of the clan once he or she returns to the clan. Myra's arrival in Konohagakure is a little late. Normally, the Ravenheart is to arrive shortly after his or her 6th birthday to start training at the academy. She is not much younger than your Team 7 Kakashi." Tsunade's tone was serious. Kakashi was still smiling under his mask, but he was still a bit confused.

"What I said was true, she is a little old to start her out as a gennin; which is why some of the other students will test her tomorrow. I will be there to watch as will you Kakashi, and you will understand the reasoning behind her late arrival." Tsunade kept here serious tone, but smirked slightly.

Kakashi thought back to Myra's father. _Where had he stayed while he was here?_ Kakashi eyes widened with dawning comprehension.

"You can't mean that she's…. But the Captain never developed it? How is it possible?" Kakashi was shocked by this revelation. Tsunade's smirk widened.

"It seams to have skipped a few generations." Tsunade eyes narrowed with the knowledge that now Kakashi understood why Myra's training had been delayed.

* * *

Sakura and Myra walked silently towards the apartment building Myra would be staying in. Sakura was a little upset about this new stranger. She was tall, dark and pretty, like some Amazon princess Sakura like to read about. But unlike the Amazon princess in the stories, Sakura didn't know if she liked Myra.

"If you keep staring at me, I might have to ask you out…" Myra said with a hint of seduction. Sakura's eyes went wide with shock and disgust.

"I… um… What?" Sakura stammered. Myra laughed.

"It's all good. I get that reaction a lot more than you would think. It's when I don't get that reaction that worries me." Myra smiled. Sakura relaxed a little.

"I'm sorry I was staring. My name is Sakura Haruno." Sakura stopped and bowed. Myra stopped and held out her hand.

"I'm Myra Ravenheart. Nice to meet you Sakura." Sakura stood up and took Myra's hand. They both smiled. "So… Sakura… What is there to do in Konohagakure?" They continued walking towards the apartments again. Sakura looked at Myra a bit confused.

"What would you like to do? There are some excellent places to visit it just depends on what you want to do."

"I'm not sure what I want to do. I just know that I don't want to sit in my apartment all day resting." Myra stretched. "I am a little tired, nothing a quick nap wont cure." She looked at her watch. It was set to her time back home, so it wasn't as helpful as she thought it would be.

"You wouldn't happen to know what time it is?" She looked over at her new friend. Sakura looked at the sky and the placement of the sun.

"It's about noon." Sakura blinked.

"Excellent! What time is sun down?" Myra adjusted her watch, as they turned the corner to be standing in front of the apartment building.

"Um… About 7 or 8-ish I think." Sakura was watching Myra intently. Myra continued to adjust her watch. They were about to walk into the apartment when SMACK – THUD Myra hit the ground a looked up into a familiar pair of blue eyes.

This time it was Naruto that was apologizing, but Sakura was making snide comments about him being "Such a klutz" Sakura gesticulated at Naruto. Myra shook the stars out of her head and stared dreamily into those blue eyes. Sakura's voice was in the distance. The blue eyed hottie held out his hand again to help Myra up. Her heart fluttered and she turned a nice shade of pink.

"Myra? Did you hear me?" Sakura's voice came back to the forefront of Myra's hearing.

"Um… Did I hear what?" Myra looked back at Sakura a little like a deer in headlights. Sakura shook her head and gestured to Naruto. Myra's gaze turned back to those blue eyes again.

"This is Naruto Uzumaki. He will be your next door neighbor during your stay." Sakura noticed that neither, Myra or Naruto had taken their eyes off of each other. Myra took his hand, and there was that electric shock that traveled the length of her spine as it had done earlier in the morning.

Naruto smiled at Myra. His heart was going to burst out of his chest for no reason. He took her hand. Skin met skin again and he felt gooseflesh erupted over his entire body. His mouth wet dry and he couldn't speak. He was happy to hear her break the silence.

"I believe we have met before." Myra pushed back her hormonal responses and allowed him to help her up.

"I hope this doesn't become a habit." Myra smiled as she stood up. Naruto laughed but had not released her hand.

"My name is Myra Ravenheart." Myra began to shake the blondes hand very slowly. He let go of her hand.

"Myra Ravenheart? That's an unusual name." Naruto continued to stare dreamily at Myra. Both Myra and Naruto were brought out of their dreamy expressions by a rather annoyed Sakura.

"Well I see you can make friends quickly." Sakura's tone had a tinge of jealousy in it.

"It's a curse really." Myra covered her face with her hand as an aside to Sakura. "Don't worry, I am quite proficient with beating them off with a stick." Sakura giggled. Sakura was beginning to like this Myra Ravenheart. Myra looked back at Naruto with a coy smirk. _I just have no intention of beating this one at all… Unless he asks nicely._

"So, where is this apartment of mine? I would like to get something to eat and then a nap for sure. I have a big day ahead of me, and I am going to want to be at least awake for the test." Myra readjusted her knap sack. Naruto looked at Sakura with comprehension. Myra WAS the exchange student and they were going to test her tomorrow. They started to walk up the stares to the top floor of the building.

"Do you know what is going to happen tomorrow?" Sakura asked.

"The only thing I know is that I am going to be up against 2 or 3 different people and what my father told me. It is something that he arranged with Lady Tsunade because I am in the village a little later than expected." Myra explained. Naruto tilted his head.

"Later than expected?" He mirrored her words.

"Well, yeah. First of all, I wasn't supposed to be the next leader of the Ravenheart Clan. My brother was. But he was killed when I was five." She looked very sad for a moment. "When he was –" she gulped choking back the tears, "murdered, I became the next in the line of succession." Her words had notes of sadness. She took a deep breath and calmed her voice.

"I was told then I would be coming to Konohagakure. Then a few months later, my mother passed away. My father thought it would be best to train my as much as possible in America, then when I had learned all there was to know about the Ravenheart Clan I would come here and finish out my training." Myra finished as the trio reached the door of her apartment. Myra drew in a deep breath.

"It's all good." And she smiled. "Now, who has my key?" Sakura snapped out of her thoughts.

"Oh… I do." Sakura unlocked the door and handed the key to Myra. Myra took the key with a smile on her face. "Would you like to see?" Myra asked her new friends and she opened the door.

The three entered and removed their shoes. It was a nice sized apartment and it had what Myra needed. The door opened to a living area with the kitchen and dinette off to the back of the room. There was a door that led to a relatively large bathroom that included a shower and a large soaking tub. Another door led to a spacious bedroom. Off the kitchen, was a small balcony that looked out over the village. Naruto crossed his arms and scowled. It was bigger than his apartment. _What was so special about her that Tsunade Baa-Chan gave HER the bigger apartment._


	5. Getting Settled

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language right now, but there is a possibility of lemons later.

Chapter 5:Getting Settled

Myra went straight to the kitchen and opened the empty refrigerator. _Ok, so I am going to have to do a little shopping._ The cupboards were just as bare. Sakura and Naruto were looking around in amazement. For just one person, the apartment was pretty big and the bathroom was huge. Sakura thought _I may have to ask if I can come take a bath here._ Naruto was still scowling. The apartment was a lot bigger, and a lot nicer than his was. He figured the reason Myra's was so big was because his was so small. He didn't like the thought of anything of his being small.

There was a tapping noise coming from the sliding glass door to the balcony. Myra turned to see her two guides had found their way to the new apartment. Myra hoped over the door and opened it. The wind blew in the sweet smell of flowers and with the delightful breeze came in the two large ravens that perched on the dinette chairs.

Naruto turned and saw the birds, pointed, and looked accusingly at Myra. "Those Filthy Feather brains are yours?!" He was still a little angry about them and confused. Myra looked at the birds and stuck her hand on her hips.

"What did you two do this time?" She scolded the birds.

"_We went out and played like you told us to._" Edgar looked indignant._ "Pretty boy over there and his friend obliged us with a little entertainment while you were busy."_ Myra turned her gaze to the smaller of the ravens.

"Uh huh… Poe? What is your story?" Myra chided.

"_It is what Edgar said, a bit of entertainment. We did not hurt the pretty one or his friend. I am sure the green boy has a nasty headache, and Pretty Boy may have sacrificed a little of his hair to make my nest, but no harm done. And besides, I did thank him and I gave him something in return."_ Poe fluttered her wings.

All Sakura and Naruto could hear was Myra talking aloud and the birds making low squawking and chirping noises. Naruto knew better. He knew they were spirit birds and they could talk.

"So what did they say?" Naruto still looked a little angry. Sakrua moved a step away from Naruto. Myra smiled.

"I am sorry if they caused you or your friend in green any discomfort or played any pranks on you." Myra held out her hand to Poe who fluttered over to her hand. Myra stroked the bird's feathers and nuzzled the bird. "They are my friends and companions. This one here is Poe. She is a gentle and kind. She watches over me like my mother would have. The one still on the chair is Edgar. He isn't very sociable with anyone one. So please don't be offended if he never talks to you." Myra continued to stroke Poe's feathers.

Sakura's eyes widened "They can talk? All I heard was a chirping."

"They can talk. But it isn't something you hear with your ears." Naruto clenched his fists. Not that he was angry anymore, but the idea of having someone else in your mind was all too familiar to the blonde boy and not something he enjoyed. Myra picked up on his discomfort and frowned. She looked back at Poe, but this time she chided her raven internally. _"You frightened him."_

"_I do not think I frightened him. I know I startled him. Talking to an animal spirit guide can sometimes be a little awkward to someone that is not used to the feeling."_ Poe's eyes turned on the fuming boy. _"But he is not stranger to it. There is a presence within him that is far more powerful than Edgar or my self. I believe that he communes with the demon as we communicate with you. But I doubt it is as pleasant."_ Myra walked over to Naruto and put her hand on his shoulder. Myra was concerned by Poe using the word 'demon'. Poe never talked that way about other spirits. She smiled at him. Naruto visibly relaxed at her touch.

"It's all good. They didn't mean to startle you. They were having a bit of fun. I am sorry if they made you upset or anything." Myra's smile made the blonde boy go weak in the knees. Myra released the bird, which flew back into the kitchen. Sakura still looked a little confused. Myra took her hand off of Naruto's shoulder.

"I'm famished… Who delivers?" Myra looked at Naruto. The blonde boy blinked in confusion.

"Delivers… Oh… Food… Oh." It came to him. "Ichiraku's delivers." The blonde said hopefully. Sakura crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Do you eat anything other than ramen?" Sakura shook her head.

"That sounds good. What's ramen?" Myra asked eagerly. There were stars in Naruto's eyes as he started to explain the history of ramen in its complete entirety. Myra didn't really want to interrupt his ramblings, but she her stomach gave a grumble.

"Um… Thanks for wonderful lesson in ramen, professor Naruto. Do you have a menu?" Myra smiled. Sakura never saw Naruto move so fast. There was a orange blur and about a minute later the orange blur returned with a paper menu from Ichiraku Ramen Bar.

"Who wants what? My treat." Myra took the menu and looked at it. Naruto was already drooling. Sakura was late getting back to the Hokage's office. She had a few things that she had to prepare for. Sakura also had to find Lee, Neji and Shikamaru for the test tomorrow.

"As much as I would love to stay, I have a few things to do at the Hokage's office. Plus I have a few errands to run." She looked sternly at Naruto. "Naruto-kun, don't be a pest. Myra will need her rest." The blonde came out of his drooling stupor and nodded at Sakura. Myra turned to Sakura.

"You're not going to stay for lunch?" Myra pleaded.

"I am sorry that I can't. I have to make arrangements for the test tomorrow. And besides, Naruto here can show you around." Sakura smiled. Myra looked a little nervous about Sakaura leaving. Sakura pulled Myra to the side.

"Don't worry. He isn't going to hurt you." Sakura consoled her new friend. There was something about Myra that felt so comfortable, like she could tell Myra anything. It was an odd familiar feeling. Myra sensed it too. Myra smirked. "I'm not worried about him hurting me." Myra raised an eyebrow and winked at Sakura. Sakura got the meaning and smiled back. Myra walked Sakura to the door and shut it behind her. There was a devious thought that crossed her mind.

"_Myra Windfeather Ravenheart! You should not think such things."_ This time it was Poe that scolded Myra. Edgar merely laughed. Myra smirked her way back to the kitchen where Naruto was making a list. Myra and Naruto ordered from Ichiraku's and they had a delightful lunch. They talked for a little while about this and that. Naruto told her about all his adventures. Most of them had been with Sakura and someone else that Naruto didn't seem to want to mention. Myra sat and listed to his stories and told him some of her own.

About 2 o'clock, there was a knock on the door. Myra went to open the door. Naruto followed mostly out of curiosity. At the door was a large man in white overalls with a clipboard.

"Myra Ravenheart?" The man spoke.

"Yes?" She blinked.

"I have a delivery for you. We were notified by the Hokage's office that you had arrived and we were to bring it straight here. Please sign and we will move it in." The man handed her the clip board. Myra looked extremely happy. She hurriedly took the clip board from the man, scratched her name, and then went to the balcony to look. There was a medium sized white truck parked in front of the building. She squealed with excitement.

Naruto felt a little strange just standing there. He shrugged his shoulders and was walking into the kitchen to ask her if he could help when he watch Myra dive off the balcony. He ran to the balcony. _"It's a five story drop, even I don't do that!"_ He got there to watch the very agile girl flip a few times in the air and land with out a sound on the top of the truck. She couldn't see the concern on his face, nor could he see the large smile on hers. Myra stood up and looked up at him still standing on the balcony of her apartment.

"So will you help?" She called up to him.

"Sure, but I think I will take the easy way down." He smiled

"I though I did take the easy way down." She laughed. Myra easily hoped off the truck and started to help unload. There wasn't a whole lot of stuff. Mostly her clothes and other odds and ends that her father thought would make the lonely apartment feel like home. Naruto carted up two large perches that he concluded were for the birds. Myra carried up a box that was labeled 'bathroom'.

The other two men carried up the rest of the boxes for her. All the boxes were all labeled for different parts of the apartment. She was most happy when her TV and DVD player arrived. She wasn't going to miss out on her favorite TV shows because she was far away. Naruto stood around for the most part being a heavy lifter for her. Once all the boxes got upstairs the two movers had Myra sign more paperwork and the left.

It was going on about 5 o'clock when it was Naruto's stomach that had growled. Myra giggled and made Naruto's heart flutter again. He shook off the feeling and thought it best he go back home now and eat dinner. Naruto was about to reach for the door when she grabbed his hand.


	6. The First Night

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language right now, but there is a possibility of lemons later.

Chapter 6:The First Night

"Naruto, if you stay and help me get a few boxes moved around so this place is at least livable, I will spring for dinner too." Myra smiled at him. The blonde boy dazedly nodded in approval. It wasn't that she had asked him to stay and it was that she bribed him with more ramen if he stayed to help. _How am I supposed to say no to those eyes, _he thought to himself.

The two moved boxes around. Mostly she pointed and he moved them. Edgar seemed to be snickering a lot. Naruto moved his perch outside on the balcony just for spite. The large raven pecked him on the head. Poe moved over to Myra's shoulder. Myra moved Poe's perch out to the balcony as well. She nuzzled the bird and Poe flew to the side of her mate.

Myra walked back into the apartment to see Naruto paying for the second round of Ramen they had ordered.

"Hey I said I would pay for that." Myra put her hand on her hips.

"Consider it a welcome to Konohagakure present from me." Naruto smiled and walked their dinner into the kitchen. They sat at the table and ate almost silently. The blonde boy looked up into her eyes again. They reminded him of someone, but he couldn't put his finger on it. There was something about her voice, her smile, her sadness even that seemed so familiar to him, like a long lost friend that had come back to him.

He was staring at her again and she knew it. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. She didn't know if she was going to have to fight with him or not tomorrow. She hoped not, but there was no guarantee. Myra didn't want to fight anyone, but it was something that she had to do. The faster she got it done, the faster she could go home and get back to her life. It wasn't that Myra didn't want to be in Konohagakure. She knew it was her duty to be here.

Being here was the only way she was going to learn to use her talents to her full potential. It was something that had been drilled into her from the time of her brother's passing. That fated day that flooded back to her in that moment.

_[START FLASH BACK_

"Brother, why are you going away?" The small girl was looking at her older brother packing his clothes.

"Because someday, I am going to grow up like Papa and lead the clan to VICTORY!" The raven haired boy struck a pose that made his little sister laugh.

"But I wanna go too." The little girl pouted angrily and her eyes flashed red with her anger.

"You can't go. You aren't old enough yet." Myra's mother smiled at the small little girl. The little girl stomped her foot.

"Then will I be old enough?" The little girl pleaded with her mother.

"You have another year and then you get to go too." Her mother continued to smile.

"But Mom, you said only I got to go cause I'm special!" Said Myra's older brother sticking his tongue out at his little sister. Myra ran from the room in tears. The older woman looked very stern at her son.

"Minato Littlefeather Ravenheart! Do not say such things. Your sister is just as special as you are. You are both special. She will be in Konohagakure next year after her birthday. Now pack!" The woman stormed from the room to find her younger daughter. Myra was sitting and sobbing in a corner of her room. Poe sat next to the small girl. Her mother entered the room slowly.

"Little one? Are you in here? Will you come and talk to me please?" Her mother's voice was soft and caring. The little Myra moved from the corner to the bed. The tall woman pulled the little girl into her lap and held her close. The little girl clenched her fist and sobbed into her mother's chest. Little Myra took a deep breath and started to calm.

"I hope he dies." The little girls spat with venomous hate and anger. The older woman lifted the little girls chin. The woman gasped. The little girls eyes had turned blood red for a moment then cleared back to brown. There was concern in the Woman's voice as she rocked the little girl.

"Myra, my little Myra, you don't really mean that. He is your older brother and you love him. He's just really excited about going to visit Konohagakure. You'll be there in a year and then there will be nothing to worry about." The older woman said. When her brother left the house, she didn't even wave goodbye. Myra said nothing to her brother. She continued to hate him.

A few months passed after Myra's brother left. Myra had forgotten about the fight and forgotten that she hated her older brother and couldn't wait to visit him. Late one night Myra lay sleeping in her bed having a strange dream. She saw a pair of blood red eyes staring at her and then there was empty darkness. Myra's heart screamed and she woke in a start and ran to her parent's room.

"MOMMY! DADDY! MOMMY! DADDY!" She screamed as she entered. "MOMMY! DADDY! SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MINATO!" The little girl was out of breath and sweating. Myra's mother hugged her.

"What's wrong Little One? Did you have a nightmare?"

"I don't think so. There were these eyes. Really big scary eyes that hurt Minato." Myra sobbed.

There was a ringing of the telephone in the other room. Myra's dad smiled and hopped out of bed to get the phone. Myra didn't remember much after that. She had fallen asleep on her mother's lap. The next morning, everyone in the Ravenheart family looked very upset. Her mother was at the kitchen table crying. Myra's father had a sad look on his face. Even Edgar and Poe looked sad. Her father's harsh word bit her to the quick.

"Your brother Minato was killed by a made man." Myra didn't know what to think, didn't know what to say. She just ran to her mother and cried. It was several days before Myra would talk to anyone. Her mother had brought her something to eat and drink.

"Mommy, the last thing I said about him was that I wanted him to die. Its all my fault he's dead." Myra started to cry again. The older woman put the tray of food down and rushed to her daughter. Myra was enveloped by her mother's warm and tender arms.

"There is nothing that is your fault. You are not to blame for this. It was a mad man who killed a lot of people that night. There was only one survivor and they are not even sure he will make it through the night. But know that because of this, things will change for you. You will now have to carry on the Ravenheart name instead of your bother." Myra looked at her mother still sobbing and confused. The older woman squeezed her daughter.

"We will talk about that when you're older."

_[END FLASH BACK_

Naruto could see that Myra was deep in thought. She even looked a little sad. He put his had on the back of head. He looked outside to see a full moon had risen over the Kage monument. It was the perfect place to cheer anyone up. Naruto got up and offered the black haired girl his hand.

"Come on, let me show you a little of Konohagakure before you turn in for the night." He gave her that toothy grin. Myra took his hand and followed him off the balcony towards the Kage monument. He gently pulled her along behind him. She happily kept up with him. They got to the bottom of the long set of stairs leading up to the top of the monument. She looked at him with one eyebrow raised. He smiled and scooped her off her feet.

She wasn't expecting to be swept off her feet her first night in Konohagakure, but here she was being carried to the top of the Kage monument. She wrapped her arms around his strong frame and closed her eyed. Literally with a hop, skip and a jump, they were at the top of the monument perched on the Yondiame's head. It was the perfect spot according to Naruto. He looked down at her. She was blushing furiously and her eyes were closed. He smiled.

"Don't open your eyes yet." He put her down on her feet and positioned her so she was looking out over the whole village. "Ok, open your eyes." He said in low tone that made her spine tingle and her knees wobbly. There was an audible gasp of joy as she looked over the quiet village. She could see for miles around her and it was beautiful.

"This is a beautiful spot Naruto. I'm glad you shared it with me." She turned to him and kissed him on the cheek. Now it was his turn to blush furiously. She sat down and continued to stare out over the village. She tucked her knees into her chest to keep warm. Naruto took his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders. _I wonder if I had brought Sakura up here I would have gotten a reaction like that._ There was no answer to his question, which he thought odd, but he was happy with the silence. He sat down next to Myra and the both star gazed watched the clouds wisp by until Myra yawned and put her head on Naruto's shoulder. He was a bit startled, but he didn't flinch away from her, but he decided that maybe it was time to take her home.

He scooped her up again and started the jump home. He landed in her kitchen where they had left rather hastily. She had fallen asleep in his arms on the way back. Both the birds were staring at him when they returned. Edgar was especially staring at him.

"Don't worry papa, I'm not going to try anything." He stared back at the bird. There was a tense moment while they stared at each other. Myra stirred a little in his arms. She was very warm and soft and he wanted to hold on to her for a little longer. He knew he couldn't, he too would have to get some rest before the morning. Naruto walked into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. He tried to remove his jacket from her, but she had wrapped her self up in the jacket. The blonde thought it best to get it back at a later date. He was almost to the door of her bedroom when she spoke ever so softly.

"Thank you Naruto, I had a wonderful evening," She smiled and rolled back over and went back to sleep. Naruto's heart did summersaults in his chest as stared at her and smiled. Naruto closed the bedroom door. He locked her apartment from the inside and walked back over to the balcony. He was lucky that he had left his balcony door open, because he really didn't want to make another 5 story drop and walk up the stairs again. Naruto closed her balcony doors and jumped over to his balcony. He looked at the Yondiame's face on the hill.

"_**BRAT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU HAD THE PERFECT OPORTUNITY TO BED A PRETTY GIRL AND YOU FAILED!" **_The Fox screamed from the back of Naruto's mind.


	7. Preparing for Battle

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language right now, but there is a possibility of lemons later.

Chapter 7: Preparing for Battle.

Myra woke the next morning curled up in the blonde boy's jacket. She looked over at her beside table. The girl figured she had a few more minutes before she had to get up and wrapped herself up into the jacket. She drank in his scent.

"_The Pretty Boy seems to like you too. I was impressed by his restraint last night."_ The harsh male voice crept into her mind. Myra opened one eye and glared at Edgar.

"Good morning to you too Edgar. I thought I told you to stay out of my head unless I gave you permission, other wise it's very rude." She cursed at the raven.

"_I'm only saying that if Pretty Boy next door had been listening to his demon last night, the night would have turned out very differently."_ Edgar fluffed his body.

"Should I be upset that you were eavesdropping or grateful you warned me?" Myra sat up in bed. Poe fluttered into the room and settled next to her mate.

"_The boy was sincere, the demon on the other hand, was not as noble in it's thoughts. So we cut off those thoughts from influencing Pretty Boy in anyway."_ Myra looked shocked and chided her birds. She knew they had her best interests at heart, but they were meddling in someone else's mind.

"Edgar, Poe! The both of you know you should not poke into other people's minds. Its very dangerous and not to mention RUDE." Poe fluffed her feathers indignantly at her master's words.

"_There was no poking. Edgar thought it would be a good idea to silence the demon while Pretty Boy was around you. There was no poking involved. We just put a wall in his mind so he could not hear the beast. It faded as soon as he left your apartment." _Poe scowled.

"Like I said, I don't know if I should be angry or grateful." Myra stretched and her alarm started to chirp. She drank in the smell of Nauto's jacked once more and set aside. The Raven Master got out of bed and headed for the kitchen.

The bright sun of the morning was just peaking over the Kage monument. She opened the balcony door to let the morning breeze fill her lungs. The sweet scent of spring flowers filled the kitchen. Edgar and Poe moved outside to the perches set up by Myra the night before. Myra put a kettle on to boil.

"Don't get too comfortable, I need you two to find that white haired ninja man."

"_Kakashi Hatake, he has grown since I was here last."_ Edgar mused. _"He has made progress with his gift from Obito, and will make an excellent Sensei for you."_ Myra rolled her eyes at Edgar.

"Yeah, yeah, what ever… Find him and figure out where this test is going to be. I would like to take a look at the terrain before I am expected to fight on it." She sipped at her tea.

"_I do not need to find Kakashi to know where you need to be. They were discussing it yesterday before you arrived. Training ground 3 at 10:30 AM."_ Edgar answered.

"Good, I will be able to get there and look around. Do you know where it is?"

"_Yes. As soon as you have eaten, showered and changed we will leave. Poe and I will inform Lady Tsunade you will be at the training ground."_

"Good, now go!" The birds whooshed out the window. Myra finished her tea and set to work.

* * *

The Hokage was just unlocking her office as the two birds landed on the window sill next to her office. Tsunade walked to the window and opened it. 

"I take it she is well rested?" Tsunade asked the birds. Edgar gave a low chirp.

"Is she ready for this?" Tsunade smirked. Edgar gave a loud call in acknowledgement and both the ravens dove off the window sill taking flight halfway down the building.

* * *

Naruto picked up the chirping alarm clock on his bed side table and tossed it hard across the room. He was sporting a skull splitting headache from the Fox screaming at him most of the night. The Fox had finally given up and retreated to his cage. That damn Fox counted on Naruto being exhausted by morning. 

The blonde boy crawled out of bed and drug himself to the bathroom. He could hear the shower next door running. Naruto thought a shower was a good idea. He reached for the hot water knob on the shower and turned it on. There was a scream from the bathroom next door as the hot water pressure dropped. The shrill of Myra's voice sent a chill up Naruto's spine. The blonde hurriedly turned off the hot water and there was another shrill scream from the next door shower.

The blonde shook his head. His day was not starting off very well. There was a deep bravado of laughter in the back of his mind. Naruto grumbled several curses. He waited for a few more minutes until he heard the water in the next door bathroom stopped flowing. The blond boy took a deep breath and turned the shower back on. _"Just my luck." _Myra had used all the hot water.

"Note to self, get the water heater fixed." Naruto said to himself as he got into the cold shower. There was more laughter coming from the back of Naruto's mind. The brisk cold water managed to wake Naruto up, but it did nothing for his headache. He did what he needed in the shower and quickly got out. It was cold and there were parts of him that were letting him know it was cold. Naruto came out of the shower and looked at the wall clock in the kitchen. It was only 8 am. He walked back to his bed and crawled back in. Someone would wake him up later. His head hit the pillow and he was asleep once again.

* * *

Myra got out of the shower. "Note to self, get with Naruto and decide who takes showers in the morning or takes showers in the evening." There was another thought that crossed her mind, but she would think about that when she knew him a little better and not while she was preparing for battle. Myra cleared her mind and started to get dressed. She wrapped her long black hair in a towel and put her bathrobe on. 

Back in the bedroom, Myra rummaged threw boxes looking for her battle attire._"Why is it when you're looking for something you want, you find everything you don't need._" She thought to herself as she came across an old picture her father had given her. Myra smiled at the picture and set it on her bedside table and sighed.

A few boxes later, she had found the box marked 'battle gear' she had been looking for. Myra opened the box and pulled out her black body suite and her father's ANBU armor. He hadn't worn it in years, so Myra took possession of the armor. It didn't look like ANBU anymore. Myra had repainted it deep hues of purple, blues and black. On the back plate she had painted the Ravenheart family crest. The crest was a simple Shaman's hand fan adorned with stylized raven feathers.

Myra dressed, pulled on her boots and braided her hair. She took a look at herself in the mirror and picked up the blue paint and drew the lines under her eyes. Myra was ready for this. She picked up the jacket her next door neighbor had left her. She breathed him in again as she walked to her kitchen. Myra stepped out on the balcony and noticed Pretty Boy had left his balcony door open.

Myra easily jumped to the platform and stole a look inside. Silently she crept inside her neighbor's apartment. The blonde boy was snoring soundly as she looked on. Myra crept closer to him watched him sleep for a moment. He didn't even move. She put the jacket over the chair in the kitchen and put a feather in the pocket. Myra crept back out the kitchen to the balcony. Naruto sat up again and looked at the lean girl standing on the balcony. He blinked his sleepy blue eyes at her. She smiled at him and hopped up to the railing of the balcony.

Naruto ran from his bed and into the kitchen. Myra's eyes widened and she turned a bright crimson when she looked at him and giggled.

"You may want to put something on before you come watch the test." She smiled and dove off the balcony again. The deep bravado laughter in Naruto's head became hysterical fits of giggles. Naruto had never heard the Fox giggle, but there was a first for everything. The blonde boy stomped back into his room and put clothes on.

Myra met Edgar and Poe at the west edge of the village. Myra consulted her wrist watch and it was only 8:30 AM. She had another 2 hours to explore training ground #3. She took her time finding every nook and cranny. Myra looked to see how she could use the trees and the ground to her advantage. The ground had recently been torn up, like someone had been practicing earth jutsu. Myra was confident that she could work that to her advantage. She stopped in the top of the tallest tree she could find. Edgar and Poe had perched themselves on oposit sides of the training ground. Edgar was the one that spotted the gathering crowd.

"_You do know you are being watched?_" Edgar asked. Myra smiled internally.

"_I noticed them a few minutes ago. They aren't anyone that I've met. Just keep an eye on them. Don't let them know what you're up to. If I can keep the two of you secret, even if it is for a few moments, I will continue to have a slight advantage"_ She moved to the next tree and Edgar kept a sharp eye on the hidden Neji, Shikamaru and Lee.


	8. Take A Picture, It'll Last Longer

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language right now, but there is a possibility of lemons later.

Chapter 8: Take a picture, it'll last longer!

Lee stayed close behind Neji. Shikamaru leaned up against a tree. "Where is she?" Lee asked. Neji was already using his byakugan to watch the girl loping through the trees.

"She is about 120 meters to the east, high in the trees." He kept his eyes locked on the girl. Shikamaru just shook his head.

"Man, this is too troublesome." Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry you find this inconvenient Shikamaru, but we were asked to help with testing the new student." Neji kept his voice serious and almost monotone.

"Why do you think she got here so early?" Lee had his hand shading his eyes, staring in the same direction as Neji. Shikamaru sighed heavily.

"Obviously she is scoping out the terrain. This girl is smart enough to know that anyone she fights with today will have the home field advantage. She is making sure they can't use it against her. She will probably try and keep us in places that would be advantages to her abilities. Man, this is going to be such a pain." Shikamaru sighed again.

Myra kept to the tree tops and moved back towards the 3 pillars. It was nearly time for the test to start. Myra shimmered and appeared standing on the middle pillar. Her back was turned to them, but she was smirking over her shoulder. Myra's long black braid fluttered in the wind. Neji's eyes went wide, she knew they were there. Neji released his byakugan, but kept watch on the tall girl.

"She's fast, but I don't think she's as fast as Lee." Neji chocked down the comparison to Lee. Myra continued to stand on the post, just waiting. High above the training ground in a tree overlook the scene, Edgar and Poe were also keeping a watch of their own.

"_You do know they are still watching you?"_ Edgar mused sarcastically. Myra's smirk turned to an evil grin.

"_I know, but I'm just going to stand here and wait until Lady Tsunade makes her move towards them. I am sure she will bring them out into the open."_ And in fact at that very moment, Lady Tsunade had walked up behind the three staring boys.

"What are you boys staring at?" Tsunade crossed her arms and eyeballed the three boys. Lee popped up and saluted.

"Neji is tactically observing the new student, Hokage-sama." Lee's said like he was reading from a book. Neji blushed slightly.

The blonde Hokage smirked, "Hmmm… And what is your analysis Neji-kun?" Neji blanched for a split second and regained his composure.

"I am still not sure what I am looking for. As far as I can tell her chakra output is normal and she's fast. I am unsure at this time how fast she is." Neji managed to keep his almost monotone voice. Tsunade stood over the boys and nodded in agreement. Myra had sat down on the middle pillar and put her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand. She sighed heavily and her bangs fluttered in the exhale of breath.

Sakura and Naruto came running up the road. Naruto remembered the last time he was here. He and Sakura had given Kakashi a taste of their training. Naruto smiled with the thought. Tsunade was expecting Kakashi, but didn't know that Sakura and Naruto were going to be at the test, but she was happy to see them just the same. Myra saw her two new friends and felt really glad they had come to watch. She didn't feel so alone anymore.

"And what, may I ask, are you two doing here?" Tsunade asked the pair. Myra moved to Tsunade's side before anyone had really noticed. Neji hadn't seen her move, but he knew something was fast about the movement. Lee was wide eyed as well. Shikamaru could have cared less. Myra's voice penetrated the momentary silence.

"I asked Sakura and Naruto to come cheer me on. I wanted someone on my side so to speak." Tsunade hadn't seen her move either. _"Maybe she is as fast as Lee…"_, the Hokage thought. Naruto turned to smile at Myra. His eyes fell out of his skull. The black body suit clung to and accentuated every curve of her body. She was lean and muscular like a dancer. There was power in her calves and thighs._"Her hips would fit nicely in my hands"_

"_**Too bad the chest plate covers up her torso."**_ The Fox grined.

"_Shut the hell up."_ He went slightly pink. Sakura picked up on the lecherous nature of Naruto's thought, though not the thoughts themselves and elbowed him in the ribs. Naruto's mind focused on the pain in his side and he managed to reel his eyes back into his head. Tsunade clasped her hands together.

"Right, now we need Kakashi…" There was a loud bang with a huge cloud of white smoke. A smiling Kakashi stood in font of the small crowd. "Well hello there, I'm sorry I was late but…"

"Save it Kaskashi, we all know you were reading that book again." The Hokage chided. Kaskashi tried to look innocent. Tsunade turned to the group assembled. "I'm glad we're all here… Finially… Now to business… " She pointed to Myra "This is Myra Ravenheart. She will be the one a few of you will be testing today. This is a special Chunin exam of sorts. Lets just sum this up by saying, I can't very well place her on a team, unless I know what her abilities are." Tsunade's speech went on for several more minutes.

Meanwhile, Myra leaned in closer to Naruto and whispered so only he could hear her. Her breath on his ear made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"You know, I think I like you better out of that jump suit." Myra blushed slightly and took a step forward. Naruto turned beet red.

"_**I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU SHE WOULD HAVE MADE A MAN OUT OF YOU!"**_ The Fox shouted making Naruto's head hurt a little.

"_Do me a BIG favor for once and SHUT THE HELL UP!"_ The blonde boy took a deep breath and tried to calm his emotions. The Fox grumbled as it retreated. Naruto wasn't doing very well, he was still sweating nervously. Myra looked back at him over her shoulder and grinned like a cheshire cat.

"Now, Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji, or Lee! Who wants to go first? Kakashi will act as Proctor." Tsunade smiled. Naruto looked like a deer in headlamps. Kaskashi still smiling walked to the middle of the field.

"Do WHAT now?" Naruto's gaze whipped in confusion from Tsunade to Myra back to Tsunade. Myra smiled and said "Looks like you're on the examiners list." Then she shrugged. Shikamaru raised his hand and sighed.

"I'll go first. Man how troublesome." Shikamaru started to walk towards the middle of the field. Myra took a deep breath and caught up with Shikamaru.

"So which one are you? Shikamaru, Neji or Lee?" She asked happily.

"Shikamaru Nara, lets just get this over with." He said tonlessly.

"Ok… Do you give up?" Myra asked hopefully. Shikamaru looked back at Tsunade who was shaking her head with a definitive "no" expression on her face. Shikamaru sighed. "Um… I don't think that's an option here."

"Well we at least have to make this LOOK good. So do your best kay?" He voice was sickly sweet and she smiled at him. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Myra raised her eyebrows. _"Well charm isn't going to help me win this battle."_ She scowled as she faced off with Shikamaru.

Kaskashi stood between them. "Chunin exam rules apply. Anything goes, but know that I will stop this fight should things get out of hand. Ok?" He looked between the two combatants. Myra nodded. Shikamaru shrugged. Kakashi raised an eyebrow "I'll take that as a yes. Ok… then LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!"

"KAKASHI!" Tsunade interrupted. Kaskashi coughed and brought his tone down a little. "Ok… BEGIN!"

Myra closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then opened her eyes again. She could see with such clarity. The hues of blues, greens, and reds were stunning. It was like time has slowed down. Shikamaru was moving to make a hand sign to perform a jutsu of some kind. Myra wasn't trying to copy, mostly to evade. She had made some assumptions by his body language, and Myra determined that he didn't really care about this test. He just wanted to get his part over with. She watched his chakra collect in his feet and then into his shadow. _"A shadow weaver, this should be fun. I'll play with him a little cause I need the warm up."_

"_Don't get to cocky girl. Keep your head in the game. He maybe a shadow weaver, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous."_ Edgar fluffed himself up from his perch. Myra bounced around the field avoiding his shadow.

"_BEHIND YOU!"_ Shouted Poe, calling out to Myra. The group of observers looked over to the perched pair of birds. Myra looked behind her and now had to dodge two shadow tendrils. Neji looked up at the birds with his byakugan and gasped. Those birds were made of chakra. They were not constructs of chakra, but living chakra beings. Neji turned his enhanced eyes back to the fight. Myra was not exerting much chakra to evade Shikamaru, but there was an interesting concentration of chakra in her eyes.

Myra was easily dodging 6 different shadow tendrils. Shikamaru grinned. The tendrils had been leaving explosive tags everywhere. She wouldn't be able to go anywhere without stepping on a tag. Myra took a misstep and was caught by Shikamaru's shadow bind. Most of the watching group was upset that it was over that quick. Tsunade scoffed and Kakashi remained silent. Neji, still using his byakugan started to notice Myra charging her chakra.

"It's all over girlly, you're caught. Now, surrender and let's go home." Shikamaru was relieved it didn't take as long as he thought. She wasn't making it very difficult. That's when it dawned on him.


	9. The Battle Begins

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language right now, but there is a possibility of lemons later.

Chapter 9:The Battle Begins!

There was a mass of explosions that traveled the length of Shikamaru's tendrils. He felt her chakra flowing back along his own shadow. Shikamaru released his shadow Jutsu and jumped out of the way. _"What was that?"_ Shikamaru was intrigued. There was a lot of smoke from the explosions. Myra's voice echoed through the smoke.

"I don't give up that easily. You should try a little harder! My Grandma Nancy could do better!" Myra smirked. Shikamaru took a deep breath and shook his head. He wasn't going to rise to her baiting. Shikamaru looked around as the smoke started to clear. He still couldn't see her. Myra had her eyes fixed on him, and she wasn't moving from her spot. She reached for two kunai. One had a long thin wire attached to it. The other was noting special, merely an object to get him to move in the right direction.

Myra looked at Shikamaru's positioning and guessed the likely direction he would dodge and took aim with the wired kunai. She threw the second kunai directly at him. She would swear to anyone that asked her later that it was sheer luck she picked the right direction, but others knew better. Shikamaru jumped to the left to dodge the first kunai to be grazed by the wired kunai. He felt the wire touch his skin and reached for the wire.

"Are you planning on tying me up?" He grasped the wire and smirked. Myra smiled and tilted her head just slightly. Neji was the first to wince as Shikamaru lit up like a bug hitting a bug zapper. Naruto didn't know if he should be happy because Myra beat Shikamaru, or upset that Shikamaru lost. Sakura raised her eyebrows. Tsunade just beamed.

Shikamaru'd hair was standing more on end than normal and he had a burnt charcoal color to him. He fell forward and hit the ground. Kakashi came forwards and checked to make sure he wasn't faking. Kakashi looked up to Sakura and she rushed forward. Myra stood back and waited. Sakura examined the unconscious shadow weaver. He had minor burns on his hand where he grabbed the wire and that was about it. _"This could have been much worse."_ Sakura was a little worried.

Myra stepped forward and bent over Shikamaru, "Is the Nancy Boy ok?" Myra looked genuinely concerned. Sakura turned to give Myra a smile and looked directly into her eyes. Sakura was in shock, it was there, but ever so slightly. "_Myra's eye color had changed, but not enough to be noticeable from meters away. And all three tomoe in both eyes. Is this possible?"_

"Sakura, you're staring again." Myra winked at Sakura and walked back to the center of the field. Sakura watched her walk away. Kakashi bent down to Sakura and whispered. "I am sure there will be an explanation later, but for right now, Sakura, worry about Shikamaru." Kakashi was smiling at Sakura. The pink haired girl gulped and went back to working on Shikamaru. Sakura looked up at Kakashi and they hauled Shikamaru off to the tree line where Sakura could continue to monitor his vitals. The lightning attack wasn't strong enough to do major damage. Myra had seen to that. She hadn't used enough juice to short circuit his nervous system, or stop his heart. "_It shows she has restraint"_ Tsunade smirked with pride.

"Who's up next?" Tsunade turned to the three boys. "On the count of 3?" Naruto put his fist out. Lee followed suit and they both glared at Neji for a few moments. Neji begrudgingly put his fist out as well. There was a three count and Lee lost. Lee's eyes were a blaze and there was a shout of "WOOHOO!" The excited Lee walked to the center of the field and faced off with Myra. Myra raised an eyebrow. "So… I get Gumby next?" Myra laughed. "Ok then…"

"_Do not underestimate him. He has speed, but he is quick to prove his worth, you may find an advantage in that. Remember in a battle of strength vs. speed, speed will win a straight out fight. But, if you fight smart and catch him, you can overpower him"_ Edgar ruffled his feathers.

Myra nodded and kept her eyes on Lee. Kakashi came to the center of the field between Lee and Myra. "Same rules as before. Are you ready?" Kakashi looked at both of them in turn. "Ok… BEGIN!"

They started with easy punches and kicks. The speed was normal and Myra looked bored. She threw off one of his kicks and shimmered to the center pillar again.

"Are you trying to test me, or bore me?" She shimmered again directly in front of him. She tapped Lee gently on the forehead and shimmered to about 5 feet away from him. Myra was giggling. "That was from Edgar who says to stop holding back." Lee looked slightly confused. He glanced over to Neji and Naruto. Neji was keeping his eye on Myra, Naruto gave Lee a thumbs up. Lee took off in a zig zag pattern that kicked up a lot of dust. He came toward her and she was already moving out of the way of his punch.

Sakura finished working on Shikamaru who was finally beginning to come around. He was going to have a splitting headache and the burns were superficial. Sakura walked back over to Tsunade who was watching the match intently. Sakura looked a little upset and angry.

"Shisho? When were you going to tell us about…" Tsunade interrupted her. "Sakura, right now is not a good time for an explanation to anything. I think Kakashi already told you once that there will be a time for it later. Besides, I am sure that if you ask Neji he can confirm your suspicions." Sakura didn't argue with the Hokage. She somberly walked back to where Neji was standing. He was staring at Myra with his byakugan. Sakura looked at Neji with concern in her eyes. "Is it true Neji?" Naruto was looking very confused by what was going on.

Neji turned around to Sakura. "I'm not sure yet, the chakra concentration in her eyes isn't enough to say for sure. Of course it could be a deviation from the bloodline. Did you notice the crest on her back?" Sakura nodded.

"Yeah, it's a fan with feathers." Naruto said still confused. "You are as observant as ever Naruto-kun. What other clan in Konohagakure has a crest that is a fan?" Neji continued to watch Myra. Naruto flipped through his mental picture file of each of the family crests. He stood stock still. His mind raced over everything trying to make sense of it all.

Myra and Lee were a blur of kicks, flips, punches and jabs. They matched each other equally. She caught his ankle and felt the weights under the tacky lag warmers. Myra tossed him back a few feet. Lee recovered easily and charged her again. Myra put up her hand. "WAIT!" Lee skidded to a stop.

"I thought I asked you not to hold back." She glared at him. Lee blinked at her, then looked over to the Hokage. Tsunade shrugged. "Take them off Lee." Tsunade smiled. Lee sat to take off his leg weights. There were concerned protests from the crowd "That isn't fair!" cried Sakura. Naruto was about to add his voice in protest when Tsunade put up her hand to silence the crowd.

The loud thud of Lee's weights hitting the ground snapped everyone's attention back to the battle. Myra smirked. "Finally, someone takes me seriously." The pace of the fight quickened. Even Neji could barely keep up with what was going on. Kakshi lifted his headband to uncover his sharingan. Kakashi didn't know what was more incredible, the speed at which they were moving, or the fact that Myra was keeping up with Lee.

Naruto and Sakura were at the disadvantage. Neither could see more than a dark blue blur and a green blur. Naruto was in awe of the raven haired girl. There was a loud bang seconds after the blurs collided and trails of smoke in opposite directions. Lee and Myra hit the ground sliding on the soft ground. They all looked between the two opponents. Everyone focused on Myra and finally, in its blood red glory, the sharingan shown brightly in Myra's eyes.

"An Uchiha? But I thought that Itachi had slaughtered all the living Uchiha with the exception of Sasuke?" Naruto blurted out. Sakura elbowed Naruto in the ribs. Myra took notice of the names and the conversation. She wanted to know more about who Itachi was. Myra decided to end this battle. Myra turned her attention back to Lee who was waiting to move. Lee smirked. The both took off at the same time. Lee charged her again. She wasn't paying attention to Lee, Myra was more involved with the conversation on the sidelines. She took the hit in her chest and flew upwards.

Lee had set her up for the Lotus. He shimmered behind her and was about to get his wrist wraps around her. Myra saw everything in slow motion. She put a replacement in her stead and shimmered to just above Tsunade in the trees. Everyone's attention, except the Hokage's, was on Lee.

"Is it true? Someone DID survive?" Myra voice was quiet and serious. Lee crashed down to the ground in a large plume of dust and earth. The dust cleared and a tired Lee was standing at the edge of the crater. Kakashi moved in to survey the damage. Lee was already celebrating.

"I don't think you should celebrate too quickly Lee." Kakashi pointed to the splintered log at the bottom of the crater.


	10. Byakugan vs Sharingan

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language right now, but there is a possibility of lemons later.

Chapter 10: Byakugan vs. Sharingan

The warm wind blew warm and moist air over the training ground. Myra jumped out of the tree favoring her right foot. Tsunade turned to face the girl. Neji shifted his gaze and the others followed suit. Edgar had flown down and perched on Myra's shoulder.

"_This is not the time for your personal quests. You can find time for answers about your later. Right now you need to focus on this test, not on your brother's killer."_ Myra clenched her fists, took a deep breath and counted to ten. Edgar flew off and Myra spoke threw gritted teeth.

"I will get the answers I want when I pass your tests?" Tsunade took her time answering the upset girl. "I can only tell you what I know.

"Fair enough." Myra was reaching her limits with these, so called tests. She may have been making it look easy, but the truth was, it wasn't easy at all. Her foot was killing her. She had taken a nasty step and twisted her ankle. Her shins and forearms were riddled with scraps and bruises. The bones in her arms and legs had multiple micro fractures from the pounding of the fight with Lee. _"Speed plus strength equals OUCH."_ She thought. That kick to the chest had broken one of her ribs and cracked a few more.

Myra was holding her left arm close to her body to keep the rib as still as possible. Moving hurt, breathing hurt, but she knew there was more to come. Sakura rushed forwards to Myra's side just as Kaskashi was helping a limping Lee back from the crater. He too had multiple scraps bruises and looked tired. Sakurak looked from Myra to Lee, then back to Myra. Myra gave Sakura a pain filled smile.

"Go deal with Gumby." Myra's hand lit with a deep purple chakra, "I'm good." Sakura opened her mouth in an attempt to protest, but Myra glared at her. Sakura nodded and went to treat Lee's wounds. Kakashi helped Lee take a seat on a rock, then moved off to the side of the small crowd with Tsunade. Edgar moved from Myra's shoulder to a spot eye level with the Hokage and Copy Ninja. Tsunade looked a little concerned. "What do you think Kakashi? She looked back over her shoulder at Myra, who was slipping the chest plate of her armor off very gingerly to mend her broken ribs. Kakashi remained silent in contemplation.

"_She is hurting, but by no means tired."_ Edgar's voice echoed in the minds of Tsunade and Kakashi. The Copy ninja sighed and chose his word carefully.

"So far, Myra has shown that luck is something you can not live without. Even Naruto isn't that lucky. With her Sharingan, her analytical skills are sketchy at best. Shikamaru's down fall was that he was TOO analytical." Tsunade nodded in agreement. Kakashi continued.

"Her speed is on par with what I expected. I think we've only seen a fraction of her ninjutsu talents. Edgar Shisho, do you think she could handle another match?" Tsunade and Kakashi looked at the bird. Edgar tilted his head from side to side looking over Neji and Naruto. Neji was staying off to one side of the commotion with Lee. Naruto was helping Sakura tend to Lee. However Naruto was stealing a glance at Myra every chance he could. The large bird ruffled his feathers.

"_The Hyuga boy. I don't think Myra could see the Fox Boy as a threat."_ Tsunade and Kakashi were surprised at Edgar's words.

"That information is considered classified." Tsunade cautioned.

"_I am a kin to the Nine Tail Fox. I can not hide my presence from him anymore than he can hid his from me. I will keep as much as I can from Myra."_ Edgar looked at Naruto again. _"However, there may be an eventuality that will make keeping the secret from Myra pointless."_ Tsunade shrugged and Kakashi smiled under his mask.

Myra was mending some of her more serious broken bones when Edgar flapped his way over to the branch next to her.

"_I have good news and bad news.'_ Edgar chirped. Myra let out a let out a hard breath. Her voice was a little stressed with the pain she was in. "Give me the bad news first."

"_You have to fight the Hyuga boy."_ Edgar grinned.

"Do I have to?"

"_Damn it girl! Yes… They agree that your speed is beyond expectations and your analytical skills need some work. You haven't even tapped your ninjutsu yet, which is a disappointment, but it has been a very long time since you had an opportunity to spar with someone that can match your speed."_ Edgar beamed with pride. _"So I wont be too upset about it."_

"Ok coach," Myra winced when her rib popped back into place. "So, I have to fight Billy Badass over there?"

"_Yes. Only words of advice on this match will be, don't let him touch you. AT ALL!" _ Myra raised an eyebrow.

"Ok DAD… I don't think now is the time for THAT kind of advice." Myra giggled and winced at the same time. That rib was being difficult.

"_That isn't what I meant. Just don't let him touch you."_ Edgar scolded. Myra chuckled.

"Right…Now, what's the good news?" Myra asked.

"_Much to my chagrin, Pretty Boy hasn't stopped looking at you."_ Edgar ruffled his feathers rather annoyed. Myra hid the smirk of excitement behind another wince. That rib was going to be a pain for the rest of the day. She finished patching herself up and was walking toward Tsunade.

Neji stepped out in front of her. "You have the Sharingan." Myra raised her eyebrow and looked at Neji sideways. "I think we established that a while ago, Captain Obvious, but thanks for the clarification." She stepped around him heading for the center of the field. Neji fumed with anger.

Tsunade caught the rivalry starting already. Kakashi was smirking under his mask. This was going to be an interesting match. Naruto was also watching the sight. He was worried about Myra. Naruto knew how hard Lee could kick, he also know what that kind of speed can do to a person. Naruto also knew what Neji could do to Myra. Neji was not someone that took things lightly. If given the chance, Neji was going to hurt her, just to prove once and for all that his Byakugan is better than her Sharingan. Naruto watched Myra and Neji walk out to the middle of the field. Myra hadn't put her chest plate back on._"This could be bad…" _Naruto thought.

Kakashi moved back toward the center with Myra. Tsunade put her had on Neji's shoulder. "You're up Neji." Tsunade smiled. Neji smirked and gave a soft "harrumph." He walked slowly out to the center of the field and faced off with Myra. Kakashi looked between the both of them. Naruto looked more nervous than anyone. "You can do it Myra!" yelled Sakura. "Yeah Neji" Shouted Lee. Neji twitched and mumbled some sort of curse. Neji and Myra faced off in the center of the field. Kakashi looked at them both. "OK… BEGIN!"

Kakashi quickly moved out of way. Myra too her stance keeping her left side guarded. She was going to let him make the first move. Neji stood there glaring at her. He didn't think it fair to make her to have to fight him wounded. He would prefer to be facing off against a true Uchia or a master of the Sharingan, but her humiliation would have to suffice.

"I know giving up is not an option so I will make this quick." Neji's tone had a tinge of venom in it. Myra laughed.

"Look Billy, I get that you're the tough man on the block, but I'm no push over." Myra was in no condition to start anything at that moment. She was hurt a lot more than she was letting on, but she was not going to give up, especially to Billy the Bully standing in front of her. Neji's foot moved and Myra prepared her self to guard against anything he had to throw at her. Neji decided to take a gamble. Myra was a lot faster, but she was hurt and Neji didn't think she would be moving around too quickly.

Neji attacked first with a flurry of strikes aimed at her charka points. Myra did a fair bit to dodge most of them. He connected with her upper arm and she jumped back from him holding her shoulder close to her. Myra's hand took on a glow of dark purple and she healed the chakra point.

"So this is why Edgar didn't want you to touch me. Your thing is to shut off chakra points. Lovely." Myra started to think. _"Best to get behind him and take him out that way."_ Neji took his stance and was going to break out his 64 palm.

"Well that is the quickest way to neutralize an enemy. If you think about it, it's a flawless plan." Neji started to move.

"_MOVE!"_ Edgar screamed inside her head. Myra moved and Neji missed by millimeters. Myra figured in her condition she couldn't take him hand to hand. She was going to have to fall back and rely on her ninjutsu. She smirked and shimmered about 40 meters back from him. Myra hoped it would be a safe range.

"WOO WEE that was close. I hope you don't touch your girlfriend like that?" Myra goaded. Neji frowned. An intense burst of chakra came in Myra's direction. She was able to doge it, but Neji was right behind the blast ready to beat her down again. She blocked what she could trying not to get hit in the wrong place. Neji was relentless and kept at her.

Myra had no choice, she sped up her movements and got a lucky punch that knocked Neji back a few meters. While in his flight backward, she put hand signs together, her chakra gathered and there was an intense blast of hot air that blew him back another 10 meters. Myra pulled out some shurikens and threw them at Neji while she continued to get further back from him.

Neji smirked as her spun in a furry of blue chakra. The shurikens bounced off and landed at his side. Myra smirked wide.

"TRANSFORM!" Myra yelled and 3 shadow clones emerged from puffs of white smoke. The 3 clones attacked Neji all at the same time. Neji just shook his head and started his rotation again. The three clones changed again after hitting the chakra shield. There was silver confetti falling all around Neji.

"Thunder style: Rain of lighting" Myra grimaced with effort. There was about 5 or 6 consecutive bolts of lightning all around Neji. She knew he had moved out of the way before the last bolt hit the ground. The lighting hit the silver tags, and none of them landed on him. But now was her chance. Neji felt the heat of the air all around him, but he hadn't been hit. The dust cleared and took a few steps back breathing a little heavy. Myra grinned. He had stepped on one of the tags.

"And for my next trick, I will RIDE THE LIGHTNING BABY!"

Lightning came from no where and stuck Myra, then a split second later the lightning hit Neji. Myra slid down the lightning bolt planting her foot in his face. Neji hit the ground as did Myra. There were a few tense moments while everyone waited to see who was going to move first. When neither of them did, both Tsunade and Sakura rushed in.


	11. In the Hospital

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language right now, but there is a possibility of lemons later.

Chapter 11:In the Hospital.

Myra opened eye her vision still a bit hazy from the transportation jutsu. She hadn't mastered it yet, but she could at least call herself a Lightning Rider. She slowly pushed herself up. The pain was a bit more than she was expecting. Myra winced and clutched her left side._"I knew that rib was going to be a problem"_

Myra looked over to Neji. He wasn't moving and Tsunade was kneeling over him. Sakura looked scared. Kakashi was stunned by the Lightning Rider.

"Did I pass?" Myra panted out. Kakashi looked to Tsunade who nodded and then Kakashi smiled back at Myra. He noticed the good amount of blood pouring from her side. "Yes, you passed." Myra smirked.

"Good." Myra's eyes rolled back into her head and her body went limp. Naruto was there in a blink of an eye to catch her before she hit the ground again. He felt her warm blood dripping from the bone protruding from her left side. He looked up at Sakura with pleading blue eyes with out saying a word. Sakura rushed over.

"Lay her down. I need to assess her condition." Sakura tied back her short pink hair. Naruto laid Myra down and Sakura went to work.

* * *

Myra opened one blurry eye. The sun was shining brightly through the window of the hospital room. She took in a deep breath and flinched. Though not as painful as it had been, breathing to deeply was not a good idea. Myra tried to sit up. That wasn't a good idea either. Everything she did hurt. Myra sat up despite the pain.

There was a tap at the window. Myra's raven companions sat at the sill. She would have moved to open the window, but she was still getting used to the pain of sitting up. Edgar's voice was proud. _"You did good kid. Not as good as I know you can do, but you did good."_

Myra smiled at her companions through the glass. _"Thanks, I think."_

"_That last move was a bit risky at close range like that."_

"_I know, but I had to do something that was fast enough to get the jump on him."_ Myra grimaced as she repositioned herself on the bed._"With my ribs broken and my ankle twisted I wouldn't have been fast enough to get around his defences. I had to use something that was ninjutsu based. My taijutsu sucks when I get to hurt to move. Lightning Rider Jutsu was the only thing I could think of."_ Myra sighed.

Edgar cautioned Myra _"Well I'm glad it worked. I could have very well backfired on you. Remember that jutsu was never perfected by your father. His team mate perfected something similar, but from what I remember, it wasn't as flashy."_

"_Well if I can find and talk to Minato Namikaze I may be able to get a few pointers on how to make things work out for me."_ Myra's attention was changed to the door as it slide open. The Hokage and Shizune stood with a smile. The two walked into the room. Shizune started to change the bandaging around Myra's side. Tsunade picked up the chart at the end of the bed. The Hokage looked serious.

"You had multiple fractures of several bones that have healed nicely. There were three ribs that had to be reset and are on the mend. No strenuous training or heavy lifting for the next couple of days. You also had several custs and scraps that have been taken care of. And one last thing…" Myra stared at the Hokage intently. Tsunade softened her face to a wide smile. "I bestow on you the level of Chunin."

"I can live with that." Myra smiled. Shizune smiled and continued to change the bandages. Tsunade took a seat next to the bed. Her face still set in a smile; however, it was Myra's turn to look concerned.

"So is everyone ok?" Tsunade put a gentle hand on the girl's arm. "Neji is fine. The physical wounds will heal. His stubborn Hyuga pride may take a little time to mend." Tsunade watched as Myra relaxed a little. Shizune finished changing the bandages and went out the door. Myra noticed a pair of cerulean blue eyes on the other side of the door trying to peek inside. She tried to crane her neck and decided against as another sharp pain shot through her. Tsunade stifled back a laugh. "I see you make friends very quickly." Myra blushed.

"Now I understand what Edgar Shisho was saying about inevitability." Tsunade chuckled. Myra tilted her head. Tsunade shook her head. "Myra, before I let Naruto and the other's in to see you; there are a few things we have to talk about. First off, how much do you know about your father's time here in Konohagakure?"

Myra thought about the questions. "Not much really. I know his Sensei was a man named Jaraiya. His best friend was Minato Namikaze and there was a kunoichi in the group as well. Father never really talks about her, even when I would ask. He would just tell me that there was an accident of some kind and that she died. I tried asking Edgar about it, but Edgar doesn't want to talk about it either. After a while I stopped asking." Myra was sincere. Tsunade sighed.

"I don't know much about the fallen kunoichi. I do know about Minato Namikaze. He was a great man." Tsunade frowned.

"WAS a great man? I am guessing by the frown that he WAS alive, but is not anymore?" Myra questioned.

"You are correct. The Yondiame died 17 years ago battling a very evil creature, and saved the whole village in the process." Tsunade tried not to look out at the people hanging around in the halls. Myra looked a little crest fallen. "What's wrong Myra?" Tsunade asked.

"Oh, nothing. I was hoping that I could get pointers on the transportation jutsu, and I wanted to meet the man that my brother was named after." Myra frowned. "Lady Tsunade, I know this isn't a good time to ask, but you did promise to explain what happened to my brother."

"Yes I did and I will. But you need rest now. There will be more than enough time for that later. I need to ask you one last question. That last jutsu of yours, where did you learn it?" Tsunade looked serious.

"My father told me that he and Minato had been working on it for a while before my father had to leave. My father didn't perfect his jutsu, even after he got back to Ravenheart lands. I have read a letter from Minato telling my father that he had achieved his transportation jutsu. There weren't any details on how it worked, just a mention of seals on a tag or weapons." Myra smiled with the memory of her father. "He taught me theory and the mechanics of the jutsu with the hopes that I would finish it. So I finished it. I learned to ride the lightning." Myra frowned.

The Hokage nodded. "I see. I don't think I have to tell you the jutsu is very dangerous. I don't think you should use that jutsu unless it is a life or death situation. It does as much damage to you as it does the target, even with the added kick in the face." Tsunade padded the girl on the leg and started to get up. "One final thing Myra, please do not discuss Minato with ANYONE other than myself. I want to call it a request as a friend, but I have to order you as Hokage. Edgar and Poe are under that same order. For now, please keep what you know about the Yondiame to yourself." Tsunade looked at the door again. The blue eyes weren't there, but she could sense his presence just next to the door. Myra nodded. Tsunade smiled.

"Now, I think you have some new friends that want to see you." The Hokage moved to the door and slide it open and walked out the door. She looked to her left; Naruto was standing there looking worried. Tsunade put her hand on his shoulder, smiled at him, then with her eyes, told him he could enter the room. She started to squeeze his shoulder very tightly. Naruto's eyes started to bulge out of his head with the pain. Tsunade whispered very gently into his ear.

"No intense activities for the next few days." She released her grip. Naruto turned bright red and looked stunned. Tsunade looked up to see Sakura and Lee returning from the cafeteria with something for everyone to eat. The Hokage shook her head. She turned and walked down the hallway waving as she went.

Naruto stood there looking very nervous. Sarkua and Lee walked up smiling with a large basket of goodies. Sakura smiled at her team mate and grabbed his elbow as they all entered the room. Myra was staring out of the window at the Hokage Monument.

"Myra-chan." Sakura came into the room with Lee and Naruto in tow. Myra came out of her deep thought of the conversation with the Hokage. Tsunade's words echoed in Myra's head for a few more moments. Myra shook her head. She would worry about what it meant later. Myra hurt too much to think. She turned to see the smiling faces of new friends and greeted them with her own smile.

"Hi there!" Myra got a little too excited and moved. A sharp pain in her side made it very clear not to do that again. Sakura empathized with the pain that Myra was feeling. Sakura moved forward to help Myra fluff a pillow to make it a little easier to sit up.


	12. Pinic of Feelings

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language right now, but there is a possibility of lemons later.

Chapter 12:Picnic of Feelings.

Sakura continued to fuss and Myra ooched her way into the most comfortable position she could. Naruto was still bright red, but he was smiling. Lee looked very stiff and was avoiding eye contact with Myra. The green clad boy put the large picnic basket on the floor and got it open. Naruto shot forward to see what was in the basket.

Sakura took the chair and sat down next to Myra. "So how does it feel to be a Chunin?" Myra blinked in surprise. Naruto deflated a little.

"I hadn't really thought about it…" Myra chuckled and clutched her side "OW… I guess it hurts like a bitch…OW…" Sakura laughed. Myra nodded towards Lee.

"Hey, Gumby, you're pretty fast, and you have one hell of a kick." Lee's face lit up and he bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Myra-san." He stood up.

"Oh, yeah… Myra, this is Rock Lee. Lee, this is Myra" Sakura smiled as she made the introductions. Myra smiled and tried not to laugh. "I think it's a little late for introductions, but at least I have something to call him besides Gumby." Sakura giggled slightly. Both Naruto and Lee looked a little confused.

"So what did you bring for lunch?" Myra smelled the air. Lee pulled a bento box from the basket.

"Since we did not know what your favorite foods were, we went for a selection of different kinds of food." Lee smiled handing Myra the box. Myra took the box and rose a worried eyebrow.

"Umm… Did anyone think to ask one of the 2 featherbrains outside? I am sure that Poe would have given you pointers and recipes to anything." She paused for a moment. "Hand me those chopsticks would ya Lee?" Everyone had gone silent and there were some odd stares from the group.

"What?" Myra was confused.

"I didn't think we could talk to them." Sakura answered.

"Of course you can talk to them. They can understand you just like most animals can understand what you say to them. Edgar and Poe are just special animals that are able to talk back. It may not be something you want to hear, but they pick and choose whom they talk too… Lee… Chopsticks… Please…" Myra held out her hand waiting on the chopsticks. Lee snapped out of his thoughts and handed Myra the chopsticks. There was a tap on the window. Both Edgar and Poe were looking left out. "Speaking of the feathers for brains… Would someone please open the window?" Myra broke apart the chopsticks and started to eat.

Naruto shrugged and walked to the window to open it. Just before he got there, Edgar and Poe dove off the sill and out into the village. He blinked and looked back to Myra. Myra had a light pink color to her cheeks. Naruto smirked "What did he say?"

"You don't want to know… It was rather rude and not funny." Myra continued to blush.

The group of friends continued to eat lunch and chat about the test. Myra explained what she could, and keeping her promise to Tsunade, didn't mention anything about the transportation jutsu.

Myra and Naruto couldn't stop steeling a glance evey now and then. Sakura picked up on the tension between Myra and Naruto. There was a spark there, Sakura could sense it. Sakura could also sense the confusion in Naruto. He had a crush on Sakura from the very beginning.

Sakura had always loved Sasuke and always will. She had thought more than once about moving on with her life with Naruto, but she couldn't get over the fact that she loved Sasuke. _"Maybe it's time I have a talk with Naruto_" Sakura sighed. It was beginning to get dark when Myra started to yawn. Sakura cleaned up the picnic basket and handed the basket to Lee.

"When I get out of here, I am sure that we will have time to spar. Just not at top speeds. We will leave that for the enemy…" Myra chuckled with a grimace of pain. Lee smiled and gave a thumbs up. "It is a deal. We will see you at the dojo as soon as you are cleared to train." He exited the room waving his goodbyes. Myra had a smile on her face. Sakura grabbed an empty glass and turned to Naruto. "Um, Naruto-kun, can you get Myra a fresh glass of water." Sakura smiled and handed him the glass.

"Uh… Sure!" He turned and bolted for the water fountain. Sakura turned back to Myra who was watching him run out the door. Sakura put on the best Tsunade frown she could. "You like him. Don't you?" Sakura opened the window to allow the evening breeze into the room.

Myra looked shocked and then blushed slightly. "He is kind of cute. And there is something else that I can't explain. I feel as if I've known him forever, but that's silly right? We met yesterday for the first time. It's strange." Myra sighed. Sakura put a hand on Myra's arm.

"I think I can help, but on one condition. You hurt him and I will personally break every bone in your body." Sakura gave Myra an evil glare. It didn't scare Myra, but she could see how serious Sakura was about it. Myra put her right hand over her heart and lifted her left hand to swear.

"I promise not to hurt him..." There was evil smirk that crossed her lips. "Unless he asks nicely…" The two friends broke out in a fit of giggles as Naruto came back into the room with the glass of water. Myra winced again with the pain of her ribs. Myra yawned and tried not to stretch too much.

Sakura took the glass from Naruto and set it on the table next to the bed. A nurse appeared at the door with a tray of medication and clean bandages. "Visiting time is almost over and we have to change her bandages. So I am going to have to ask you two to leave." The Nurse smiled. Naruto frowned. He hadn't gotten a chance to really talk to Myra. He tried to say something, but his nerves had gotten the better of him and his voice went dry. Sakura shook her head and grabbed his elbow. She achieved pushing the protesting Naruto out the door and just before she was completely out the door she turned and winked to Myra.

"See you later!" Myra called to her friends. _"How is she going to help?"_

Sakura pulled protesting Naruto out of hospital to the side of the building facing the Hokage Monument. She lightly bonked him on the head and he stopped having his little fit. He rubbed his head.

"What was that for? I didn't do anything." He looked at her through one squinted eye. Sakura sighed.

"I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention." She smiled softly. "I'm going to be honest with you Naruto. I like you a lot. But not the way I think you want me too. I think of you more like my little annoying brother." Naruto looked at down and clenched his fists. "It's because I haven't brought back Sasuke isn't it."

"No, absolutely not!" She looked at the sky, then back to his eyes. "I love Sasuke and that is the way life is. It's better this way Naruto. Let's pretend for just a moment. I give up on Sasuke and fool myself into believing I could be happy with you. Maybe for a little while everything is a wonderful life. Sooner or later there would be a moment in the relationship where I would have to stop fooling myself and you into a lie. Happiness isn't easy; you have to want it bad. I want to be happy with Sasuke, and as long as I have you, that is a possibility." A lone tear trickled down her face.

"I believe you will bring back Sasuke one day, and then he and I will work out our happiness." Naruto kept his head down. "This doesn't mean I wouldn't walk through hell and back if you asked me too. We will always be Team 7. Nothing can change that. We will get Sasuke back and we will be a big family." Sakura started to drip more tears. "I don't want you to suffer because of me anymore Naruto Uzumaki. You have the right to be happy, so don't let me stop you." She whipped away her tears. He finally looked up at her. There were tears in his eyes too. Sakura took his head gently in her hands and tiptoed to kiss him on the forehead.

He waited for the spark and there wasn't one. That jolt of electricity he felt when Myra touched him. It wasn't there. Naruto looked at Sakura and smiled. He hugged her and swung her around. It was a very happy moment. Sakura was a little dizzy when he put her down. She slugged him gently on the arm. "Ok Romeo…" She pointed to the open window on the 2nd floor next to the tree. "Just know that if you hurt her, I will have to break every bone in your body. Then I will tell Lady Tsunade and let her break the rest of you." She gave him an evil grin. Naruto looked a little worried. Sakura smiled and waved as she walked back towards her house. Naruto looked back to the window. It was still open.


	13. In The Moment

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language right now, but there is a possibility of lemons later.

Chapter 13: In the moment.

Naruto looked up at the open window, then back at the pink haired kunoich that had been his crush for so long. She had always known about his feelings for her, and she wasn't ignoring those feelings anymore. Sakura loved Sasuke and there wasn't anything that was going to change that. Sakura loved Naruto like family, and when Naruto searched deep down, that is how he loved her too.

Naruto snuck over to the tree and started to climb. He walked on the outstretched limb leading to the window sill. He looked in the window to make sure no one but Myra was in the room.

"Myra-chan, PSSST, you awake?" Naruto looked over at the bed. Myra looked like she was asleep, but he entered the room anyway. He started to creep towards the bed. The door to the room slid open and the light came on. The duty nurse glared at Naruto. Myra tried not to giggle because of the pain.

"OUT!" The nurse yelled at him. "Out I said. Visiting time is OVER." She started to shoo him towards the window he came in. Naruto hung his head and walked back to the open window. The nurse put her hands on her hips and watched him closely. Naruto climbed back through the window and nearly lost his foot as the nurse closed the window with a slam.

Myra had gotten up and walked over to the closed window. She tapped on the glass and Naruto turned. They both looked at each other. Myra put her hand on the glass. They hadn't been alone all day. She hadn't touched him all day. Myra wanted him to stay and keep her safe. She didn't understand why, but she just wanted to be near him. Myra brown eyes conveyed her sadness.

Naruto looked into her eyes and then to her hand on the glass. He wanted in that room, just to be close to her; just to feel that energy that was so addictive. The Fox had other thoughts, but Naruto pushed those thoughts aside. Naruto put his hand on the glass and time stopped. In that fleeting moment there was nothing between them. The nurse pulled Myra from the window. Naruto felt a tug on his senses. He didn't want the moment to end. He felt complete in that moment.

Time came back into full focus when Myra's fingers left the glass of the window. The nurse glared at Naruto through the glass and mouthed "Go home and come back tomorrow."

Myra sat back on the bed and found the most comfortable position she could. "How long am I stuck here?" Myra asked the nurse.

"Another day, maybe two." The nurse was checking her chart. "Please dear, rest. I'm sure you will be able to go home as soon as your ribs fuse and the pain is manageable. Lady Tsunade will reconsider letting you go sooner if she finds you are well enough." She made a few check marks and put the chart back on the end of the bed. She started to walk out the door. The nurse flipped the light switch. "Now, go to sleep."

Myra tried to sleep, but she couldn't. She tossed and turned most of the night. Finally Myra sat up and started to focus her chakra. She wasn't going to stay here any longer than she had to. Myra sped up the healing process just enough to make a difference. _"Tell me I have to stay here. I don't think so."_

* * *

Naruto languished home. 

"_**How long are you going to ignore me Brat!"**_ The deep malicious voice rumbled.

"_As long as I possibly can."_ Naruto grumbled right back at the Fox.

"_**All day now, you've agonized around your pathetic little apartment and the Hospital. During that time, I have been subject to your internal prattle about your true feelings. Most of the time I enjoy your pain and self inflicted misery, but this is getting old. Find something different to fuss about, preferably something I can't be sympathetic too."**_ The Fox growled. Naruto started to walk up the stairs of his apartment.

"_I can't help being confused … About how I feel."_

There was an odd feeling that came over Naruto. Naruto was stunned by this faint emotion, because it wasn't his. He had always shared an emotional and mental link to the Fox. Most of the time Naruto shut himself off from the hate and anger the Demon Fox exuded. During the short chats and exchange of curses, there were no barriers between the Fox and Naruto. He had come to believe that emotions besides hate and anger were beyond the Fox. But in that moment of silence, that split second of thought, Naruto felt sadness and regret that was not his own.

Then with the flood of anger and hate, it was gone. His voice was malice and cold. _**"Your feelings are no concern to me. The pink haired tease is still infatuated with the Uchiha bastard, and told you to be…Happy.**_" It took a little effort for the Fox to say the word. _**"and Myra seems to be," **_The Fox put a lecherous emphasis on his words_**. "Very interested."**_

There was silence again in Naruto's mind. He opened the door and set his keys on the bedside table. He picked up the picture of Team 7. Naruto shut the door and plopped on his bed.

"_Shut the hell up and let me go to sleep. But since you're pissed as usual, pick nightmares that I can ignore, so I can actually sleep."_ Naruto couldn't help the grin. The Fox grumbled a curse and retreated. The mental link broken and Naruto was mostly alone with his own thoughts. He set the picture back in its place of honor.

What was this feeling? There was no explanation he could find that made sense. Naruto stood up and went into the kitchen. He put on the kettle to make some tea. He opened the balcony door and stepped out on the balcony and looked up at the moon.

Edgar landed on the railing of the balcony. Naruto rolled his eyes in frustration. "And I suppose you want to threaten me with bodily injury as well."

"_I don't make threats Pretty Boy."_ Edgar ruffled his feather.

"Then what are you going to do, peck my eyes out?" There was a note of sarcasm in his voice. Edgar's eyes started to glow an ominous red color. Naruto could feel the energy the bird was beginning to emit. There was a deep growl from the pits of the Fox's cage.

"_Sorry kid, but the big boys need to chat for a moment."_ Edgar's eyes flashed bright red and Naruto's body went limp.

* * *

The next morning Tsunade slid open the hospital room door to find Myra packing up her belongings. 

"And where do you think you are going?" Tsunade sounded annoyed. Myra was smiling and acting very calm.

"Back to my spacious prison cell. I like the bathroom by the way. Was that your idea? Or was…" Tsunade didn't let Myra finish.

"Who said you could go home?" The Hokage crossed her arms and kept her face expressionless. Myra gave Tsunade a hopeful smile.

"Well I heard somewhere that if I was a good little girl and healed really nicely and there was no more pain, you might let me out for good behavior. PLEEEAASSSEE????" Myra begged the Hokage. Tsunade shook her head.

"You are moving much better than yesterday, so the pain must be gone. But I want to do a once over to check on those ribs." Tsunade looked a little less annoyed, but kept the hard expression. Myra shrugged and lifted her shirt to expose the thin pink scar on the left side of her rib cage. Tsunade touched her index finger to the scar. Myra jumped and let out a squeek.

"That tickles." Myra laughed and tried to stand still for Tsunade. The master medical nin extended her senses to the ribs that had been repaired the day before. All the ribs had healed completely. The bones were still warm from the increased chakra flow and forced regeneration. Tsunade scowled at Myra.

"You are a bundle of surprises girl. I take it your grandfather taught you that trick. I am surprised you are still conscious."

"Yeah well… If I get jumped by enemy ninja on the way back to my prison cell, there won't be much of a fight." Myra frowned.

"I should keep you here just for being stupid. I will give you credit where credit is due," Tsunade continued to scowled. "but, you have got a lot to learn about being a Shinobi. You got lucky yesterday. Shikamaru is a lazy oaf and didn't expect you to have any ability. Keeping your sharingan a secret and having the precise chakra control of a medical nin to only activate it half way was a huge advantage. You knew where those shadow tendrils were going before Shikamaru could get them there. If he hadn't grabbed the wire, he may have beaten you." Myra kept her eyes on her feet. Tsunade wasn't telling her anything that wasn't true.

"Your fighting style is sloppy and rudimentary. The only advantage with your speed is the sharingan which allows you to know where to block. You didn't fight Lee, you did a whole lot of blocking. If Lee had gotten a chance to open the second chakra gate, you would have been toast." Tsunade didn't want to resort to harsh criticism, but Myra had been extremely lucky and extremely sloppy.

"Neji should have stomped you into the ground, and I was going to let him do it. He hadn't taken his eyes off you and he made the mistake of stepping on one of the silver tags. Those tags are like an aiming focus for your thunder jutsu. That's why your "rain of lightning" didn't hit him. None of the tags had gotten on him. When he stepped back, he stepped on one. It was like a little trigger. Then you go and use up the rest of your chakra on one move that nearly killed you and only knocked him out for a few minutes." Tsunade stopped ranting. Myra gave the Hokage a cold and uncaring stare.

"Are you done?" Anger was welling inside of Myra.

"Your training starts in 3 days. Report to Kakashi for further instructions." Tsunade stared right back at the girl.

"Great… Can I go now?" Myra said indignantly. Tsunade seriously thought about taking Myra out behind the wood shed and beating that attitude right out of her, but instead of letting her temper get the better of her, the Hokage nodded.

Myra stepped past Tsunade and made a very quick exit from the hospital.


	14. Heart to Heart

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 14: Heart to Heart

Naruto woke the next morning feeling very rested. He stretched down to his toes and jumped out from under the covers. He started towards the shower to begin his morning routine.

"_**We need to have a heart to heart."**_The Fox grumbled. Naruto was a little suspicious of this request. The Fox never asked to have a "chat" before. Naruto brushed his teeth.

"_What about? I have more important things to think about."_ The blonde turned on the shower.

"_**If you plan to seriously pursue Myra, she will become a target for anyone that wants to get to us."**_ Twice in one sentence, the Fox had succeeded to surprise Naruto. The Fox had called Myra by her name, not some demeaning nickname. More importantly, Naruto hadn't thought about the possibility of a friend or Myra being used as bait to draw him out. He didn't want to think about the Fox being right. Naruto undressed and got into the shower.

"_Are you trying to spoil my mood or do you like the desolate loneliness that I live in?"_ Naruto was only being partially sarcastic. The Fox grinned forcibly and chuckled.

"_**I prefer anything that makes you most miserable, Brat. Your torment is my last pleasure in this prison. However, as I know you as well as I know myself, should you get attached to this Myra girl and anyone so much as harms a hair on her head, you WILL jump head first into a fight that could very well get you killed and I shall cease to exist."**_ The Fox yawned. Again, the Fox had used Myra's name. Naruto tried not to betray his own thoughts about what the Fox was up to. The Fox didn't call anyone by their name. He used diminutives and demeaning descriptions, but not names. The closest to names the Fox used were the numbers of the Hokage's.

"_Oh… I get it this is something where you are trying to preserve your own life."_ Naruto spat at the Fox. The Fox growled, but there was a glint of a different emotion underneath the Fox's annoyance with the boy. It was there, a small whisper in the Fox's growl. The Fox wanted to protect Myra, but just as Naruto could sort out the emotions he was detecting from the Fox, they would flit away under a flood of malice.

"_**Guilty as charged. I am trying to preserve my own existence. No offence Brat, but your mortality is my weakness. But like I have said on several occasions, I am entertained by your self inflicted misery, and such opportunities allow me a little time out of the cage so to speak. So by all means, do as you please. It is of no consequence to me. I am not afraid of death."**_ The Fox faded from Naruto's mind. Naruto was washing the soap out of his hair when the water suddenly ran cold. He washed the soap out of his hair and cursed the water heater as the cold water continued to pour from the spout. _"I really need to get that fixed."_ Showering done, towel loosely draped around his mid section and another over his head. The blonde stepped out of his bathroom and headed for the kitchen. He walked passed his bed and noticed something odd out of the corner of his eye. Naruto got into the kitchen and put on the kettle to make something for breakfast and processed what he saw. He darted back to his bedroom, nearly loosing his towel.

Myra was curled up in his blankets on his bed. Naruto started to become very nervous about this new situation. He tip toed over to the bed and taped her gently on the shoulder. She didn't move. He nudged her shoulder "Oi, Myra-chan… Shouldn't you be at the hospital?" He tightened the towel around his hips in an attempt to hide the hormonal response to the thought of Myra in his bed.

Myra didn't move, nor did she open her eyes, "I don't like hospitals. They're full of sick people." She whined. "I escaped and came here. They won't think to look for me here." She opened her eyes and looked at him. Naruto scowled at her. Myra pushed herself up on her elbows, keeping the blankets just over her breast. It didn't look like she was wearing anything and suddenly Naruto's towel was a little more uncomfortable. He swallowed hard and his voice cracked as he spoke.

"Oh… I think they would look here first if that Nurse reported me last night." He looked very nervous. Myra giggled.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist. I was released." Myra was still a little upset about the lecture she had gotten from Tsunade. "Truth be told, I didn't feel like being alone. Is that such a horrible thing?" She pouted and looked at him with those big puppy dog brown eyes. It didn't do anything to squash Naruto's overwhelming urge to jump into bed with her.

"_**Brat, just remember what I said, she will become a target. Are you willing to risk her life without asking her?"**_ This time Naruto was sure of it. The Fox was trying to protect Myra. Naruto tensed up and looked away from her. "I can understand not wanting to be alone. But life is very complicated for a shinobi. I risk my life every day on missions that are extremely dangerous." He was trying to choose his words carefully. "A shinobi must be free of emotional attachments." He was trying to push back his tears. Myra raised an eyebrow. There was laughter in her response.

"You're kidding, right? Do you really believe that bullshit? Because I don't." Myra got out of the bed, her long black hair let loose around her face and down her back. She was wearing a white spaghetti strap flannel t-shirt that came to just above her navel and boxers with purple flames printed on them rolled down below her hips. Naruto chanced a look at her when her feet hit the floor. She stood up and walked towards him. Sweat started to pour off of him, if he could have climbed up the wall he would have.

Myra put her hands on his chest. The electricity of the touch was like a euphoric drug to both of them. She looked him in the eyes. Her tears were evident in her words, "If you really believe that bullshit, then tell me to leave and I will do so. But if I walk out that door, there is no turning back." Myra put her forehead against his chin. Naruto had dug his fingers into the wood of the wall. It was everything he could do not to pick her up and toss her on the bed. Myra brushed her lips against his neck. Her breath made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Naruto swallowed again.

"I don't want to risk loosing you. This is the only way I know how to protect you." His voice was a horse whisper. Myra took a deep breath, her warm tears now dripping on his chest.

"And what if I told you I don't care about the risks. What then? Are you still going to tell me to leave?" She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. She didn't want to believe he was being serious. Naruto looked away from her. He couldn't see her like this. The Fox howled in the recesses of his mind. It was a mournful sound that chilled Naruto to the bone. His heart was breaking and he was breaking hers along with it. She pushed away from him.

"FUCK YOU and your GOD DAMN shinobi BULLSHIT!" The tears flooded her face. She paced the room for a moment and wiped the tears from her face. Myra turned back to him, anger burning in her eyes. She was not going to give in that easily. She stomped up to Naruto, grabbed his head just behind his ears and pulled his head down to hers. Myra kissed him, sending as much of her passion as she could into the kiss.

Naruto let go of the door jam and wrapped his arms around her pulling her close to return the kiss. Myra broke the kiss first looking directly into his blue eyes then rested her head on his chest.

"Now that I know you're full of shit, tell me to leave." More tears dripped on to his chest. Naruto held her for a few more moments, still debating on what he should do. The longer Naruto held on to Myra the more content with life he felt. A strange warmth radiated from her that calmed him, and it seemed to calm the Fox as well. In that few moments, there were no objections from the Fox in anyway about his next thoughts and actions.

Naruto scooped her up in a fireman's carry. Myra wrapped her arms around his neck. He walked her over to the bed and laid her down and leaned in for another kiss. He had his knee on the bed and reality whistled its way back as the kettle on the stove started to boil over. Naruto broke the kiss. Thought and speech was a little difficult for him.

"I… Need to… Um… Turn that off…" Lips locked on to each other again. The whistle became increasingly louder. "Don't go anywhere." Naruto smiled at her. He skidded into the kitchen, pulled the kettle off the burner and turned off the stove. The blonde went back into the small bedroom, his hands on the towel ready to pull it off. Myra was sitting up with her knees in her chest looked rather annoyed.

Edgar and Poe were perched on the window sill next to Naruto's bed. Naruto readjusted the towel and cursed under his breath. These interruptions were beginning to wear on his nerves.

"Looks like I've been found." Myra rested her head on her knees. Edgar ruffled his feathers to show his displeasure of the situation.


	15. Choices

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 15:Choices

"_That stunt at the hospital was not something I would have approved of."_ Edgar's voice echoed in Myra's head.

"That's kind of why I did it…" Myra crossed her arms.

"_You need to go home."_ Edgar insisted. Myra shook her head and rolled her eyes in defiance.

"You really know how to be a kill joy." She squinted at the raven. "You could be nice about this."

Edgar thoughts were broadcast for Naruto to hear as well. _"I am old and crotchety. I don't have to be nice. YOU need to rest and recuperate, not aggravate your injuries by engaging in sport!" _Naruto turned a lovely shade of red. Myra stuck her tongue out at the bird. There was a rumbling chuckle from the Fox. Edgar narrowed his eyes and tilted his head glaring at the blonde boy.

Naruto ignored the Fox and the laughter faded away. Myra stared icily at Edgar. Poe hopped closer to Edgar and chirped something. Myra sighed heavily.

"If it makes you feel any better, he did try to kick me out. He tried to convince me that shinobi shouldn't have emotional attachments." Myra mused.

"_I see you didn't listen."_ Edgar chided.

"Oh I listened; however, my argument to the contrary was a bit more persuasive." Myra grinned like a Cheshire cat. Edgar ruffled his feathers again. Myra ignored Edgar. The large bird turned his thoughts to Naruto only. _"Listen Pretty Boy, it is MY job to keep her from harm."_

"_I'm not going to hurt her, and I'm wont let anyone else hurt her either."_ Naruto smirked with confidence.

"_It's not you that I'm worried about kid…"_ Edgar dove off the window sill. Naruto felt it more than heard the Fox's growl. The boy's thoughts turned inward towards the Fox. _"We may have another "chat" later."_ The Fox "harrumphed" and slammed a few mental doors shut with a loud bang. Myra shrugged. Poe hopped on to Myra's knee and started to nuzzle her master.

"_Edgar is only thinking of you, Child…I know your feelings for the boy are strong, but I do not know if they are strong enough to weather the storm that will eventually come to pass. Do not be angry with Edgar or Naruto for trying to protect you from the storm."_ Myra stroked Poe's feathers.

"Thank you my friend." Myra smiled down at the female raven. Poe hopped to the window sill and turned her gaze to the blonde. Poe's words were warm and soft like a blanket and only heard by Naruto.

"_If you must engage in sport, be careful. She is more fragile than she would have you believe."_ Poe spread her wings and took flight. Naruto thought about Poe's warning. Myra had left the hospital kind of early. Myra got up to close the windows and pulled down the blinds.

"I'm guessing Papa doesn't like me very much." Naruto pulled a pair of his boxers from the chest of drawers. Myra didn't really understand Edgar's behavior, but she could empathize with it. He did have her best interests at heart. Edgar had been that way for as long as Myra could remember. She turned around to catch a glimpse of Naruto's very fine butt, before he pulled on his green boxers. Myra frowned and sighed.

"Edgar doesn't like anyone. So don't be too upset about it." She laughed and sat on the bed. Naruto leaned up against the dresser.

"So…" He crossed his arms. Myra blinked at him.

"So… What?" She raised an eyebrow and sat cross legged on the bed. The blonde boy eyed her suspiciously.

"Did you really get released from the hospital this morning?" Naruto questioned her. Myra looked at the ceiling and mouthed a few choice words before she looked back at him.

"Ok… So Lady Tsunade didn't actually say I could leave the hospital, but she didn't stop me from leaving." Myra scrunched up her face. "She yelled and screamed and said some very harsh things, all of them true, but harsh. Then she just let me walk out." She shrugged and looked at Naruto with her large brown eyes. The boy put his thumb and index finger on the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. That innocent lost puppy dog look was worse than any genjutsu he had come up against. Naruto couldn't think rationally while Myra stared at him like that.

"_**Trust me when I tell you this… You are going to have to learn to ignore that look. If you let her get away with it now… She will get HER way every time."**_ The Fox chuckled.

"_I got it… Thanks… Now go away."_ Naruto massaged the bridge of his nose. "You were barely moving yesterday, and today you're well enough too…" He took a deep breath and stammered a little looking for the right words to say. Myra finished his sentence with a smirk.

"Jump into bed with the first guy I meet…" She giggled. The sound of her giggle made his spine shiver. Naruto twisted his neck popping a few vertebras and started to breath calmly. Myra enjoyed seeing effect she was having on him. He opened his eyes and glared at her. Myra didn't like that look, it reminded her of her father when he was disappointed in her.

"Look, I was feeling homesick and I didn't want to be alone in that sterile hospital room" She turned to stare out the window. "The only way I could get out of there was to get better and not have a reason to be there anymore." Myra turned back to him. Naruto closed the distance between the dresser and the bed in a single step. He sat on the bed continuing to glare with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh huh… And breaking into my house and sneaking into my room had nothing to do with why you left the hospital in such a hurry?" He continued to question her. Myra bit her bottom lip and scrunched her face again.

"Well… YOUR balcony door WAS wide open, so there was no breaking and entering." Myra straightened her back, thrusting her chest out, that made things bounce a little. The blonde boy twisted his neck again trying to keep his focus. Myra started to talk very fast. "Why are you leaving your balcony door open anyway, it's a really bad idea. I mean come on… This is a world full of," Myra motioned quotation marks in the air as she said the word "NINJAS." She paused to take a breath. "HELLO! What kind of crazy are you? Someone who wanted to do unspeakable things to you could just walk right in and…"

Naruto put his hand over her mouth to stop her from talking and took a deep breath. He didn't want her to change the subject. Trying to stifle his laughter wasn't easy either. He took his hand away from her mouth. Myra pouted again.

"How exactly did you," He motioned the quotation marks "Get Well?" and kept glaring at her. She chewed on her bottom lip, clearly thinking about what to tell him.

"It was a simple healing jutsu. Nothing too complicated." Myra gave him a suspicious toothy grin.

The Fox chuckled _**"This is going to be interesting indeed! She can lie to your face, and still tell the truth."**_

"Oh really now?" Naruto changed to a scowl. Myra frowned.

"ALL right already!" Myra acquest. "I spent 6 hours last night meditating and concentrating my chakra into repairing my injuries. It's a forced regeneration of the body. It isn't as quick as some of the other jutsus I've read about and it's not nearly as dangerous or detrimental to the body." Naruto's eyebrows shot straight up.

"Ok I admit I am a little tired and I have no fight in me." She leaned over to him and kissed him lovingly. Naruto moved closer to her on the bed. She put her hand on his cheek and broke off the kiss. "Some sleep and food and I will be fine." She reassured him. Naruto knew what forced regeneration can do to the body.

"It wasn't a smart thing to do." He said as he pushed the hair out of her eyes tucking it behind her ear. She leaned in to kiss him. He backed away from her. "I should make you go home and sleep."

"I'll compromise. I will sleep on 2 conditions: One, I get to stay here and two, you stay until I'm asleep." Myra said hopefully. Naruto smirked. "If you stay here you may not get any sleep."

"I am sure I will get some sleep eventually." She smiled at him. He leaned into kiss her. Myra wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him as close as she could. He probed with his tongue and she responded by doing the same. The kiss intensified as Naruto laid Myra on her back. Myra broke off the kiss, her breathing slightly quickened. They stared at each other for a few moments.

Naruto reeled in his thoughts as he got lost in her eyes. There was a familiarity to them he still couldn't explain. He felt so strongly about her. It was difficult for him to think clearly. There was the Fox that really wasn't saying anything, but it was nudging him in the direction of taking advantage of this situation. He kissed her on the forehead and then scooted in behind her.

"I will stay until you're asleep." He whispered into her ear. Shivers ran up and down the girl spine. Naruto wrapped his arms around her mid section and pulled her close to him. "Now go to sleep." He said with a stern tone. He could hear her pouting, and was thankful he couldn't see it.


	16. How could I forget!

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 16: How could I forget!

Myra was content with being in his arms. Naruto squeezed her close to him. The smell of her hair was intoxicating to him He felt her relax in his embrace and her breathing became slow and steady. She was asleep that quickly. Naruto didn't really want to move. Everything made sense while she was near him.

Myra started to radiate a kind of energy that warmed every part of him. The whole world could have imploded at that very moment, and it wouldn't have mattered in the least to Naruto. There was a rumble that came from deep with in the cage. The Fox was purring. _"This is new."_

Naruto slowly started to move. There were things that were becoming more of a pressing issue. He was starving and he didn't know how much longer he could ignore his bladder. Naruto loosened his grip around her mid section, unwinding his arms from the sleeping girl. Myra made a low noise that sounded very sad when contact was broken. He covered her up and headed for the bathroom.

Naruto got dressed while he was in the bathroom. Naruto walked into the kitchen. The calendar on the wall showed the date with a big red circle around it. Gaara was arriving today for the Chunin exams next week. _"Oh SHIT! I was going to meet Gaara at the gates this moring." _He didn't want to leave Myra alone, but he hadn't seen his friend in a very long time. The light bulb over his head nearly exploded with the idea.

"Shadow Clone." He whispered. There was a loud pop and in a puff of smoke the clone appeared. The real Naruto covered the clone's mouth. It was always strange looking into his own eyes. There was an instant mental connection with the clone, and the clone knew what he needed to do.

"Transform." The clone whispered and transformed into a small plushy Naruto. Naruto picked up the plushy of himself.

"Keep an eye on her, and let me know when she wakes up." He was a little jealous of the plushy. Naruto squeezed the plushy a bit tightly and shook his finger at it. "NO funny business."

He took the plushy and tucked it into Myra's arms. She wrapped an unconscious arm around the plushy, pulling it close to her. Naruto tucked the blankets around her and pushed her hair back behind her ear. He could feel her breath on his face. Naruto kissed the sleeping girl on the temple. He still didn't want to leave her. He watched her sleep as he tiptoed to the door. The door clicked shut and then locked behind him. "Granny Tsunade's first, then food…" He was off.

Naruto got to the Hokage building a little later than expected. It was going on 9 AM and he had planned on being part of the welcoming committee for Gaara. He ran up the stairs to the Hokage's office and knocked.

"Enter!" Tsunade's voice was muffled through the heavy door. Naruto opened the door and walked into the office. The Kazekage stood just in front of Tsunade's desk, with his siblings just behind him. Shikamaru was also in the office, scowling as usual. Gaara turned to look at his blonde friend. Naruto thought it was a little strange to see a smile on Gaara's face, but he returned the smile.

"Sorry I'm late… I had something important to take care of this morning." Naruto put his hand behind his head and kept the smile. Tsunade didn't look very happy about him being late.

"You are picking up Kakashi's bad habits. I thought you were going to great our guests this morning." Tsunade looked sternly at Naruto.

"Well…" Naruto didn't know how to answer. He didn't really want to tell the Hokage that he was in bed with the new girl. "I was helping a friend." He blushed furiously. Tsunade shook her head. The Hokage didn't want embarrass Naruto in front of one of his closest friends.

"Why is it that you are always helping someone when we meet Naruto Uzumaki?" Gaara extended his hand to Naruto. The blonde looked at Gaara's hand, then back to Gaara. He took the Kazekage's hand with a firm grip.

"I guess it's what I do." Naruto grinned. Kankuro padded Naruto on the back.

"Looks like you got taller squirt." Kankuro smirked.

"It's good to see you Naruto-Kun." Temari kept her scowl that matched Shikamaru's.

"Gaara and company will be staying in the guest quarters here at the Hokage Complex. I am sure they would like to rest a bit before Naruto drags everyone off for ramen at Ichiraku's. Shikamaru, please show our guests to their quarters. I need to speak with Naruto for a moment." Tsunade glared at the blonde boy.

"I'll catch up later." He smiled nervously at the Sand siblings. Shikamaru lead Gaara and the others out of Tsunade's office mumbling something about woman being troublesome. Naruto started to look a little more nervous as the doors shut, locking him in with Tsunade. There was a moment of silence before Tsunade sighed.

"I am sure you are aware that Myra left the hospital this morning." The Hokage never broke her stern expression. Naruto blushed and kept silent. Tsundae shook her head.

"I don't know who to be more disappointed in, you for taking advantage of the situation, or Myra from creating the situation to begin with." She slammed her fist on the desk making Naruto jump.

"WAIT! Nothing happened, I swear!" He closed his eyes and waited for the impact of her fist on his head. He heard Tsunade take a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.

"I am glad to hear that. I do hope she is at least resting comfortably?" The Hokage smiled. Naruto relaxed a little.

"I left her sleeping soundly." He lowered his head feeling a little embarrassed talking to Tsunade. The Hokage chuckled.

"Good, I suggest you let her sleep as long as possible. However, the council has requested her presence at a dinner party this evening. Apparently the council has decided that since we have such an influx of foreign dignitary for the Chunin Exams, we are having several social gatherings. It is all political maneuvering and very boring. As a future Hokage, you will need to learn the art of diplomacy." Tsunade turned to face the windows, mostly to hide her devious smirk. "Do you think you could stomach food other than ramen for an evening to be Myra's escort to the party, or should I send a messenger to tell Hiashi Hyuga that Neji can escort Myra to the party?"

The thought of Neji taking Myra anywhere didn't sit well with Naruto, but it really wasn't his decision. It would be up to Myra when she woke up. He clenched his fists. "I am sure you would need to ask Myra-chan that questions when she wakes up." He kept his tone even and tried not to seem jealous. Tsunade raise her eyebrow. She could tell he didn't like that idea, but would accept Myra's decisions.

"Then I suppose in the meantime, you should find something to wear just in case she does decide that she wants you to take her to the party. It is a formal affair this evening. I expect the best behavior out of anyone attending." Tsunade nodded to the blonde boy. Naruto grinned hesitantly. "When have I ever let you down?" He closed the door behind him. Tsunade stared at her empty office.

"_Never, but this isn't a physical fight, this is a political one."_ The Hokage sighed.

Naruto ran down the stairs to the guest quarters to see if he could find Gaara. He needed to talk to someone, and Gaara seemed like the perfect person. He found Temari and Shikamaru heading out to somewhere. Naruto smirked. It seemed that Shikamaru spent a whole lot of time whining about Temari, but he was never seen with out her when she was in Konohagakure.

"Oy! Shikamaru! Temari-chan! Where's Gaara?" Naruto waved the pair down. Temari got a smug look on her face. "The Kazekage is in his room resting from the journey."

Shikamaru shook his head. Gaara had silently walked up behind his older sister. "I have rested Temari. I think I will take a walk with Naruto." Gaara was the master at dead pan expression. Temari's expression changed and she did not attempt to protest. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and whispered to Gaara. "Is there a trick to getting her to shut up like that all the time?"

"Have you threatened to kill her lately?" Gaara's expression never changed and it was one of those awkward moments when no one was sure if Gaara was serious or not. Naruto stifled his chuckle. Temari rolled her eyes. She grabbed Shikamaru's collar and drug him off somewhere Naruto didn't want to think about. He just hoped she didn't beat Shikamaru too badly.

"Your sister is vicious." Naruto laughed.

"I was serious about threatening her." Gaara allowed a smirk to peak through that stoic exterior.

"I know… That's what's so funny." Naruto laughed. They started to walk. They were silent for a few moments until Gaara broke the silence. "Has the Lady Tsunade asked you about the dinner party this evening?"

"Yeah, I don't really want to go either, but I may not have a choice. If she wants me to, I have to escort one of our special guests." Naruto kicked at a rock in the road.

"I was informed the Ravenheart was in Konohagakure and had taken a liking to a certain loud mouth." Gaara looked interested in the news.

"The Ravenheart? Her name is Myra." The blonde was a little defensive.

The Kazekage kept his stoic tone, "Myra Ravenheart, I know what her name is Naruto, but from what I understand she is "The Ravenheart", a titled heir to her clan. Actually the way Lady Tsunade explained it, she is best described as a Kage in training."

Naruto stopped in his tracks. This news made him feel a little inadequate. Myra was like a princess, and he was nothing. Gaara picked up on Naruto's apprehention.

"It is fitting for the future Hokage to be seen with a future Kage of another village. I understand the politics Lady Tsunade is playing. I may not agree with such politics, but I know them to be a necessary evil." It was a cold truth and there wasn't an easy way for Gaara to sugar coat it. Naruto was still looking a bit crest fallen.

"I am very hungry after my trip. Show me this ramen place you speak so highly of." Gaara placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and genuinely smiled.


	17. Nightmares and Dreamscapes

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 17: Nightmares and Dreamscapes.

Naruto and Gaara shared a nice lunch at Ichiraku's talking about the more mundane things in life.

"I'm still having problems sleeping." Gaara confided in Naruto. The blonde slurped at another bunch of ramen and nodded. "Get yourself a girl and you'll sleep like a baby.

"Is that coming from experience?" The Kazekage raised his eyebrow. Naruto nearly spit his ramen out.

"No… But Ero-sennin would sleep most of the day after a night of RESEARCH." Naruto laughed.

"I don't think I have that kind of luck when it comes to women." Gaara seemed to sulk. Naruto raised an eyebrow, "You're kidding right? You have that tortured broody look that girls swoon over. You should be beating them off with a stick." Naruto let that process for a moment.

"Women seem to be more trouble than the experience is worth." Gaara sipped at his tea. Kankuro slipped under the flags that adorned the open air ramen bar. "Would this be a good time to mention that Temari is looking for you, Gaara." Kankuro nodded to Naruto.

"I am sure that she wants to fuss about the party this evening. She will, most likely, have a script for me to read from. Temari thinks I have a problem with small talk." Gaara finished his tea. Naruto couldn't resist laughing.

"She also has a few traditional and formal dress robes she wants you to look at." Kankuro snickered.

"You see, I would have to agree with Shikamaru-kun, women are more troublesome than it's worth." Gaara got up and put some money on the bar. The Kazekage turned to Naruto. "I hope to see you at the party this evening with Ms. Ravenheart." Naruto grinned really big. Kankuro and Gaara left the ramen bar.

The blonde slurped at his 3rd bowl of ramen thinking about the party that evening. There was something ominous about the political motives behind the party. The council of elders didn't like the idea that Tsunade had openly announced she intended to name Naruto as her successor. The council didn't even like Naruto. He didn't like the thought that he was being toyed with.

Naruto slurped his last noodle with alarm bells went off in his head. The clone had dissipated, Myra was awake. The blonde ordered another bowl of ramen to go and hurried back to his apartment.

* * *

The cold night air burned her lungs as she ran through the rows of houses and shops she knew as home, but had never seen before. She stopped for a moment and looked up and the full moon. Myra felt her heart skip a beat. A cold chill of fear shot down her spine that made her hairs stand on end. She was being watched, but could not see the watcher. Myra looked around at the rows of houses. Red and white fan crests were painted everywhere. There weren't any lights on, nor were there any busy activity. She started to run towards the end of the row. Myra turned the corner and skidded to a halt. 

She screamed at the sight of dead bodies splayed open along the streets. Blood splattered the square. Hundreds of kunai and shuriken littered the bodies and were stuck in the walls. Her heart continued to pound in her chest with fear. She was beginning to panic. Myra's body didn't want to respond, but she had to keep running. She started to run further into the maze of houses. She stopped in front of one particular house that seemed even more comfortable than the rest and opened the door.

Her throat was dry with the fear and panic she was feeling. No one was in the entry of the house. She took off her shoes and explored the house further. The living room and the kitchen were empty. Myra ran through the back door of the kitchen towards the back bedrooms. A long open corridor led to the main bedroom. She started to reach for the doors, and felt uneasy. There was a presence behind that door, evil, malicious, slimy and extremely dangerous. Myra had to force herself to open the door.

A man and woman lie face down and dead in the center of the floor. Light from the full moon illuminated the bodies. Myra screamed and collapsed to the floor. She lowered her head to her hands and sobbed. She felt helpless and weak. The sound of footsteps pierced the darkness of the scene. Myra looked towards the man and woman that had been replaced by a single boy.

Her brother laid dead and cold in the middle of the room. She pulled herself to her brother Minato's body and pulled his head into her lap. Myra started to rock back and forth with anger.

"WHY! DAMIT WHY!" She screamed into the darkness. The footsteps got closer. A boy stood in the shadows. "WHY! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY!"

"You aren't supposed to be here." Said the dark figure. Myra gently laid her brother back on the floor. She didn't turn to look at the figure.

"Yes I was. I was supposed to be here. I would have been too young to save him, but I would have been able to die with him." Myra continued to stare at her brother. She put her hand on Minato's face, remembering his smile and laughter. The dark figure moved closer.

"He was your brother?" There was no emotion in the boy's voice, but Myra could sense his curiosity. She turned to look at the boy. He was tall and pale like he preferred the cover of darkness to a sun filled day. His hair was spiked and black eyes filled with remorse and sadness. The boy was wearing a white open shirt and tight black pants. Thick purple ropes were tied around his waist and a sword tied to his back.

Myra stood up and whipped the tears from her face. "Yes he was my brother." She closed her eyes and took a breath. "And those two people back there were your parents?" She asked him.

"You shouldn't be here." He kept his tone even and emotionless.

"And where should I be?" Myra's anger was beginning to replace the fear. She turned and glared at him.

"You should wake up and end this nightmare." He moved within arms length and slapped her across the face. Myra closed her eyes in anticipation of the impact. She opened her eyes and looked around Naruto's apartment. She took in a deep breath. _"I hate strange dreams. I wonder who that guy was."_ Myra noticed the small plushy Naruto tucked in the crook of her arm. She blinked at the plushy. Myra smiled and hugged the plushy that made a soft squeak when it dissipated in a puff of smoke. She blinked and looked at the clock. It was almost 2 o'clock.

Myra stood up and stretched. She immediately sat back on the bed as the dizziness passed over her. There was still a little weakness, but it wasn't a little something to eat wouldn't cure. Myra got up again. She made the bed and headed for the bathroom.

Naruto opened the door. "I brought ramen!" There was a big grin on his face. He headed for the kitchen only to hear the shower going as he past. He put the bowel of ramen in the kitchen and went to stand outside the bathroom door. He took a deep breath and breathed in the scent of cherries, peaches and jasmine. He tried the door and seriously thought about knocking it off the hinges when he realized it was locked. It was shortly after he tried the door that he heard the water shut off. It seemed like an eternity before he heard her unlock the door and the door open.

Myra stood before him a little startled. She was wearing one of his spiral t-shirts that hit her mid thigh. She had artfully wrapped towel turban on top of her head. Myra smiled and kissed him on the nose. "Hello." His mind went numb. She tried to step past him into the kitchen, but he barred the door. She smelled so good he didn't want to exhale.

"God you smell good." He continued to breathe her in.

"That is usually the point of a shower." She grabbed his arms, pulling him closer to her and buried her face in his chest. "You smell like ramen and…" She breathed him in again, "And a sandy desert?" Myra tilted her head inquisitively. Naruto had a little trouble thinking through the intoxication of her fragrance.

"A few friends from Sunagakure are in town. I had lunch with one of them." He pulled the towel off her hair and tossed the towel back in the bathroom. Her wet hair fell around her face and down her back. He gently pushed her hair out of her face, grabbing her face just below the jaw line. His touch was as electric as it had been earlier that morning. Myra tensed and took a deep breath. Naruto pulled her face to his, kissing her softly at first, then increasing the pressure. He explored with his tongue until Myra responded in kind.

Myra moved her hands to the zipper on his jacket. She unzipped that jacket and slipped her hands inside just to be met with a light weight metal mesh shirt. Naruto slid his hands down her shoulders, following the curves of her body, stopping his hands on her hips. He couldn't help musing about how well her hips fit in his hands.

They broke apart, both breathing a little heavy. The blonde took a step closer to the raven haired girl, sliding his hands along her hip bones. Myra wrapped her arms around him placing her head on his chest. His hands found the soft naked flesh of her backside. Naruto's eyes went wide with the realization that she wasn't wearing anything but that t-shirt.


	18. Late for a very important Date

_**A/N:** There may have been some confusion with Myra's dream. She did not see the Yondiame. She saw her brother. Her brother's name is Minato. Yes, he was named after the Yondiame. It will all make sense, I promise… It may not make sense to anyone else, but it will make sense to me and that's all that matters…. Meanwhile, I know I mentioned the possibility of lemons… Well I got cold feet and thought best to leave things to the imagination._

Normal  
"Speech"  
_Thought  
**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 18: Late for a very important Date.

There was a knock at Naruto's front door. Naruto's ear twitched. Myra grunted in displeasure. The two were entwined under the blankets feeling the after glow of the past few hours. Shikamaru pounded on the door again. The shadow weaver's voice was muffled, "Naruto? Are you in there?"

"Maybe if you ignore Nancy Boy, he will go away." Myra whispered. Naruto was still trying to get his mind to focus.

"Oy! Naruto! I am not taking any crap from the Godiame because of you! I have to deal with enough crap from my Mom. Now open the damn door before I do!" Shikamaru sounded serious.

"Are you awake?" Myra started to untangle herself from Naruto. He tried to restrict her movements and kissed her on the neck. He opened his very blue eyes, grinning at her. "I'm up." Myra smirked playfully.

"I noticed and I am trying very diligently to ignore it." She kissed his arm. "Because I need to get up and you need to answer the door." Myra craned her neck to kiss him. Naruto mumbled a few well deserved curses as Shikamaru pounded again.

"ALL RIGHT SHIKAMARU! Give me a few minutes." Naruto couldn't hear Shikamaru complaining, but knew he was. Myra stood up stretching. She stepped forward and bent over to pick up the clothes left on the floor. She heard Naruto stumble out of bed and was standing behind her. Myra squeaked rather loudly when Naruto grabbed her hips. She stood straight up and turned around to see Naruto's very mischievous grin. Shikamaru banged so hard on the door, dust was falling from the ceiling around the door. Myra snickered. "I don't think Nancy Boy is going to wait much longer."

"Screw him…" Naruto growled and pulled her hips to his. He so loved how well her hips felt in his hands. Myra reached up and pulled his head down to hers, kissing him deeply. She broke the kiss and looked at him with very sad eyes.

"Look Pretty Boy, I can hardly go another round or three with out something to eat. One can not live on protein alone." She kissed him again. This time it was Naruto that was pouting when she pulled away from him. "So put that thing away before you go blind." She tossed him his boxers and the t-shirt she was wearing. "I'll go get dressed in the bathroom and you can answer the door." Shikamaru's muffled laughter fluttered through the door.

Myra bounced and swayed to the bathroom. Naruto turned to glare at the door. Myra heard a loud THUD. Naruto had lost his balance trying to get his boxers on. Myra was safely behind the bathroom door when Naruto opened his front door. Shikamaru jumped back a little when Naruto opened the door. The pissed off blonde grumbled, "WHAT?"

"Boy, are you going to get it!" Shikamaru chuckled. Naruto's eye twitched.

"What the HELL do YOU want?" Naruto was gritting his teeth. Shikamaru was dressed in a nice black tuxedo. Naruto's eyes went wide and he looked at the clock showing 5:30PM. "OH SHIT!"

Shikamaru nodded, "Oh shit is right. You and Ms. Ravenheart better get dressed." Shikamaru was trying not to laugh. Myra poked her head out of the bathroom. "Get dressed for what?" She asked. Shikamaru looked at Naruto, shaking his head.

"You haven't told her yet have you? Man, this is going to be troublesome." Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets. "I will try and stall as long as I can, but I don't think the Godiame is going to be happy that you were detaining one of the guests of honor." Shikamaru turned and started to walk down the corridor waving as he went. Myra came out of the bathroom wearing her white tank top and shorts. She stood in the hallway staring at Naruto. Her arms were crossed, hip cocked to one side. The blonde boy closed the door and turned to look at Myra nervously. She raised her eyebrows inquisitively.

"Get dressed for what?" She was obviously annoyed.

"Tsunade wanted me to bring you to a mandatory council function like dinner party thing tonight. Or you have to go with Neji" He growled Neji's name rather menacingly. Myra simply laughed.

"So I am to be paraded around like a prize to be had. How intriguing. I've only been here 3 days and I'm a something to be maneuvered like a chess piece. Lady Tsunade plays her politics well." Myra took a deep breath. "And what would have happened had I refused the escorts? Or refused to attend?" Myra had straightened up, looking very regal. Naruto looked a little sheepish.

"Tsunade didn't really tell me." He took a step closer to Myra. The raven haired girl chewed on her bottom lip as she thought. "Which means I don't have the option of not attending." Myra started to pace in circles. There was silence as the girl chewed on her lip deep in contemplation. Myra looked up at Naruto, who was still standing in the middle of the main room.

"So I have a choice between you and Neji?" She continued to pace.

"Yes…" He growled again, lowering his head so she wouldn't see how upset it made him to think about her with Neji. Myra stopped pacing, put her hands on her hips and smiled deviously.

"Well if I am to be paraded as a prize to be won, then I should be paraded by he who has already won the prize." She walked up to him putting her arms around him. He pulled her close into a hug so she couldn't see his face. "Plus I want to meet your friends from Sunagakure." Naruto was still very silent.

"But…" He started, but couldn't think of how to ask her what he wanted and tell her what he needed. Myra pushed her self back so she could look at him and tilted her head.

"But what? Do you want me to go with Neji?" She blinked at him. She felt the deep rumble from his chest as he spoke. "No…"

"Then what?" Myra pleaded. Naruto looked at her deep brown eyes. He didn't really know how to explain what he was feeling or why every time she mentioned Neji, he wanted to rip Neji in half. He took a deep breath.

"You are the Ravenheart, and I am, well, I'm just Naruto Uzumaki. I have no title, no clan, and no family. I have a goal to be Hokage and save my best friend and that's about all I have." He held her at arms length still trying not to look at her. Myra was a bit confused by what he was trying to tell her.

"And I am trying very hard to see your point." Myra was still confused.

"You're a princess. And I'm." She cut him off.

"Hold it right there Pretty Boy… I am FAR from being a princess. Important person in my family, yes… Princess? Oh hell no. While I am here I will have a few things that I have to take care of that require me to wear a shinny badge that says "THE RAVENHEART" but that isn't going to change," she took a deep breath and tried to hold back her tears. "It isn't going to change the way I feel about you. As confusing as this feeling is, I don't want it to go away because of my STUPID family obligations." Naruto saw her tears forming. He stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"I met you three days ago, and as crazy as it sounds, I feel like I have known you for a life time or more. There is a rational part of my brain, and Edgar, that is screaming at me for literally jumping into bed with the first guy I met." Her voice broke, evident that she was crying. "But then there is the other part of my soul that feels safe and warm and doesn't give a DAMN about anything else when I am with you." Naruto looked into her teary brown eyes. He didn't know how to respond to her. Myra had just said to him the exact thing that he was feeling as well. They had just met a few days ago and he didn't want to be with out her, ever. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"I don't feel so alone or empty when I have you in my arms. I don't want to let go, and be damned with what anyone thinks." He looked up at her. "The thought of you and Neji makes my blood boil, and believe me when I say that isn't a good thing." His eyes didn't change color, but his pupils become slits for a split second. Myra saw the slits and passed it off in her mind as her eyes being all teary. Myra whipped her tear stained cheeks. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Will you please escort me to this diner party then?" He looked at her with a forced smile. Naruto still didn't know if the two of them being seen in public was a good idea. "Are you sure you want to go with me?" He half way smiled at her.

"If you don't take me, I'm not going." She crossed her arms and nodded her head in finality. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. She was cute when she was being stubborn. Naruto pulled Myra into a tight hug. They both stood there for a moment until the door pounded again. Naruto rolled his eyes. "Who the HELL is it now?"


	19. Getting all Dressed up

Normal  
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_Thought  
**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 19: Getting all dressed up.

Myra smiled at him. "Well go see who it is this time." She pushed him towards the door and headed into the kitchen. The cold bowl of ramen still sat on the counter where Naruto had left it for her earlier that afternoon. It didn't smell very appetizing to her so she rummaged in the fridge and found an apple and some peanut butter. It wasn't much, but it would satisfy the hunger until dinner in a few hours. Myra found what she hoped was a clean spoon for the peanut butter and smeared a spot on the apple. She heard the door shut and Naruto came running into the kitchen with a large white box.

"What's in the box?" She took a bite of the apple. The blonde shrugged. "I guess I should open it." He started to tear into the box. He found a note in the pocket of the very nice black blazer jacket.

_Naruto,_

_Since you didn't do as I asked you and let Myra sleep, I highly doubt that you found something to wear to the party this evening. I had Shizune and Sakura pick something out for you. Please tell Myra that the dinner is cocktail formal. I am sure she will understand, even if you don't. Dinner is at 7:30pm. I expect you and Myra there at 7PM._

_Tsunade._

Naruto handed Myra the note. Myra looked at it in confusion. "So what does it say?" He looked up at her. "You can't read?"

Myra chuckled. "I can't read that silly. I can speak the language, reading it is a whole other trick I haven't picked up yet." She took another bite of the apple.

"It says that Sakura and Shizune pick clothes out for me to wear tonight." Naruto turned back to pulling out the rest of the contents of the package. Besides the black blazer, there was a nice pair of black slacks, and a deep red orange silk tuxedo shirt. Naruto kept looking at the shirt in funny angles. "Amazing! The color changes in the light."

Myra felt the shirt. It was silky smooth. She would definitely have to thank Sakura and Shizune later for picking it out. Then she would have to remember to apologize to Naruto later for stealing it. Myra smiled, "I think I have a dress that will match, if not I know I have a skimpy little black one that will work." She munched down the last bite of apple. The blonde sighed heavily.

"Have I mentioned that I don't really want to go?" Naruto looked apprehensive. Myra kissed him on the head and opened the balcony door.

"I don't want to go either, but we don't have much of a choice. I'm not thinking of this party as a political hob knob with the snobs… I am looking at this as an opportunity to get dressed up, go out to a nice dinner, and meet your friends to have a good time." She stepped out on the balcony and jumped over to her own. Naruto got up and rushed to the edge of the balcony. "Where are you going?"

Myra giggled, "I'm going to get dressed. Meet you down stairs in 20 minutes." She opened her balcony door. Naruto slumped back inside his apartment. Myra walked into her apartment and hurriedly tried to find that dress. Edgar and Poe fluttered in the door way and perched on chairs in the kitchen. Myra continued to search through boxes.

"Aren't you going to lecture me or something?" she asked the crotchety bird.

"_I am not going to lecture you. I am sure you already understand the story of the birds and bees."_ There was a serious tone to his voice. Myra had come across the box marked "shoes" and found a nice pair of strapy black high heels she wanted to wear.

"Do you hate Naruto that much? Cause I really don't understand the hostility. Poe, can you please talk some sense into Edgar?" the girl started to tear through other boxes.

"_There is nothing to explain to Edgar that he does not already know. I can not change his mind for you. Edgar is merely trying to protect you. I want you to be happy for a change."_ Poe tilted her head. Edgar turned his back on Myra.

"_I don't hate Naruto. I actually like him, he reminds me of one of your Father's good friends. But I do not think a relationship at this time is a wise idea." _Edgar hoped up to his perch. Myra finally found the deep red and orange dress. She stared at it for a few minutes.

"Love is never a wise idea Edgar. But I am young, what do I know of wise ideas. I am willing to explore the possibilities. Sure I'm going to be worried every time he goes on a mission." She slipped off the clothes she had on and replaced it with the red orange dress. Myra looked at herself in the mirror. The dress by itself wasn't anything special. Her curves in the dress made the dress special.

"_I just want to know that you are sure about this."_ Edgar sighed. Myra stroked Edgar's feathers.

"I'm not sure about anything at the moment. Ask me tomorrow when I've had a chance to come down off the endorphins." She smiled as she brushed her hair. Myra left her long black tresses down around her shoulders, but pulled back the sides and bangs to keep from eating her hair. She ran in the bathroom, brushed a little bit of powder on her nose, sprayed a little perfume, and put on a little bit of black eyeliner to bring out her eyes. Myra hopped towards the front door as she put her shoes on. She turned to the ravens.

"How do I look?" She grabbed a black wrap from the same box she found the dress in. Poe looked at her beaming. _"You look lovely."_

"Thank you Poe." Myra expected the compliment from Poe.

"_You look very nice."_ Edgar sounded sincere. Myra smiled._ "Please behave this evening. Don't do anything stupid." _Edgar still had his back to her.

"Thanks Edgar." She closed the door behind her. Myra hurried down the stairs of the apartment building. She hadn't worn heels in a while and it was like learning to walk all over again. Myra was stepping down the last few steps when she tripped. She was trying to twist her body so she would land on her butt. Before she hit the ground, she was swept off her feet by a very strong pair of arms.

"I thought we weren't going to make this a habit." Naruto smiled at her. She raised an impish eyebrow.

"Maybe I like falling just so you can catch me." She kissed him. There was a groan from the other side of the street. They both looked over to the figure leaning up against the street lamp. Shikamaru looked rather cool leaning against the lamp in his tuxedo. Naruto shook his head.

"I would tell you two to get a room, but Lady Tsunade would have my hide if you two are late." Shikamaru pushed himself off the pole and walked towards the couple. "I was just about to call for reinforcements because I have orders to drag both of you to this troublesome party."

Myra playfully sneered at Shikamaru. "I am never late to a party… Everyone else is merely early." They started walking towards the Hokage complex. Naruto was becoming very tense the closer they got to the complex. Myra was a little worried about him.

"So Shikamaru, tell me what I should be expecting so I am at least prepared for the worst." She clung to Naruto's arm. Shikamaru shrugged.

"I'm not sure what you want me to tell you. I can give you tactical information on most of the guests, but I think you are asking for behavioral information in a social setting. I can't tell you anything along those lines." Shikamaru kept his hands in his pockets. Naruto was becoming very pale. Naruto was winding himself up tighter and tighter. His stomach cramped and the wave of nausea started to envelope him.

"You can't tell me because you don't know or because it's classified information?" She asked the shadow weaver. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Myra had to elbow Naruto to get him to breath. _"This is no good. I'm going to have to get him to relax."_ She thought helplessly.

"A little of both, and I really don't care. Give me a game of Shogi any day over a bunch of old men sitting around posturing." Shikamaru was looking at the clouds gathering over head. They arrived at the Hokage complex none too soon. Naruto was a lovely shade of green. The clock in the entry made it evident that the trio had arrived 15 minutes early to the 7pm deadline given by Tsunade. Myra had an idea how to unwind the nervous blonde.

"Shikamaru-kun, I need a few minutes with Naruto alone. Would you please inform Lady Tsunade that we are here and we will be on time?" Myra smiled while Naruto continued to turn chartreuse. Shikamaru grumbled and continued down the hallway to the party.

Myra waited until the shadow weaver had turned the corner before she pushed Naruto into an empty room, locking the door behind them. She got him to sit down in a chair. Luckily, off in the corner there was a wet bar with water glasses. She got him a glass of water and handed it to him. He nearly spilled the water he was shaking so badly. Naruto sipped at the water.

"Maybe if you tell me what's wrong I can help calm you down." Her voice was soothing and her warm hands massaging his shoulders helped a little. But Naruto couldn't get past the horrible knot in his stomach. His thoughts were lost in the "what ifs" and worst case scenarios that plagued his mind.

"This is not a good time to have performance anxiety issues. You need to calm down or you're going to be very sick." She moved so she was kneeling in front of him. He nodded and sipped at the glass of water. Then the thought struck Myra like a bolt of lightning. An impish grin crossed her face as she looked up at him. There was a sultry devious tone to her voice, "I know how I can calm you down…"


	20. Getting there

_A/N: Happy Late Valentines Day… My first semi lemon… Be gentle and kind and don't hate me cause it sucks…_

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings:I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language, adult situations, and finally lemony goodness.

Chapter 20: Getting there.

Naruto blinked. He closed his eyes for a moment to get the room to stop spinning. ZIP His eye went wide. He felt her warm hands pull him from the fabric prison. Naruto fidgeted a little when sensitive flesh felt the cold chill of a metal zipper. His mind started to empty as she stroked the engorging muscle. He felt her soft plump lips kiss the top. More fear and panic retreated from his mind.

Naruto was beginning to focus on what Myra was doing. Fear and panic being replaced by passion and lust. He felt her breath as she moved down the shaft kissing softly. Her tongue pressed against the sensitive spot where all the organs came together and then dragged her tongue to the tip.

Naruto shivered letting out a very long exhale. Myra felt him relax in some ways and tense in others. She swirled her tongue around the tip, getting things very wet. She lifted her head just slightly and a wide grin spread across her face. She puckered her lips and let out a slow stead exhale. Naruto squirmed in the chair feeling his skin contract with the sudden cold.

She took him in her mouth, practically swallowing him to the base. She started to bob her head using her tongue to press along the ridge. The blonde grabbed the arms of the chair to avoid tearing her clothes off her then and there. He let out a feral groan and threw back his head when she increased her tempo and the pressure with her tongue. Myra was concentrating on keeping her actions in sync with each other.

Myra stopped for a moment to take a deep breath and licked him from stem to stern. Another groan of pleasure escaped his lips when she swirled her tongue around the tip again. She took him in her mouth and slid her head up and down returning to the rhythm. Naruto dug his fingers deeper into the chair. Myra felt his tension begin to build. He started to press his hips into her mouth.

The blonde released one of the decimated arms of the chair, and grabbed her head just behind her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek. Myra moaned into him. She intensified her rhythms and her movements were becoming less coordinated. Even her concentration was beginning to slip. Naruto growled with his release that pulsated through out Myra's body. She slowed, but did not stop. She suckled on him and milked him until he twitched with every movement of her tongue. She lifted her head off of him, licking the tip one last time. He twitched again, a satisfied grin spread across his face.

Myra licked her lips and stood to lean over him. "I'm glad you relaxed." She was trying to ignore her own urges. She grabbed the glass of water and downed the remaining water in the glass. Naruto started to come back to himself and think clearly. Myra walked to the wet bar and refilled the glass a few times. Her whole body was tingling with energy. She heard the ZIP of his pants and his footsteps towards her.

She turned to face him. "Feeling better?" She smiled. He started to move closer to her.

"I wanna know how you do that without choking or suffocating?" Naruto was still grinning like the cat that ate the canary. Myra raised her eyebrow.

"It's a special jutsu. I learned to breathe through my eyes." She laughed.

"I wanna learn to breathe through my eyes. It might come in handy." Naruto looked serious. Myra coughed a little.

"Ahh… I don't know how to breathe through my eyes. It was a joke." She kissed his forehead. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him.

"That aside, thanks. I don't know what was wrong. I just… I don't know how to explain it." He squeezed her tightly.

"Now that you are happily distracted, just keep your mind on something else. Don't think about it anymore." Myra put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him.

"Are you sure you want to go? We could still make a run for it." He said playfully.

"I really don't feel like running from ANBU, because you and I both know the Hokage would send them after us. Besides, I want to meet the friends that are here tonight." She kissed his cheek.

They both heard Shikamaru's voice outside the door. "Maybe they're in one of these rooms. Hey Kiba? Do you think you and Akamaru can sniff out Naruto?" There was a loud bark. Naruto started to snicker.

"We can't hide from Akamaru. We might as well face the music." Naruto whispered to Myra. She turned back to the mirror on the wet bar. She pulled here and there on the dress and fluffed her hair. Myra took a deep breath, turning to Naruto. "Let's go."

The both huddled around the door trying to hear if there was anyone on the other side. Naruto unlocked the door and opened it just enough to see the hallway beyond. "I think it's clear." He opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

"NARUTO!" The booming voice of Tsunade echoed down the hallway. She stomped towards them, Shizune right behind her. The Hokage was obviously a little upset. "Where's Myra-chan?" Naruto smiled and pushed the door to the room open to reveal a blushing, yet smiling, Myra. "You look lovely tonight Lady Tsunade."

"Yeah, you look real good." Naruto tried to sound convincing.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Don't try flattery with me. I told you not to be late." She crossed he arms and frowned. "Do I want to know?"

Myra continued to smile. "Probably not." Naruto nodded in agreement.

"I don't know what to do with either of you." The Hokage shook her head. "There are many guests and all of them waiting on YOU." Tsunade pointed to Myra.

"I doubt they are waiting on me. I have it from a good source there are guests from Sunagakure and a few other important dignitaries. I'm just a girl from out of town, nothing more." Myra grabbed onto Naruto's arm and kept her head down.

"Just be yourself and everything will be fine." Tsunade smiled. "Naruto, can I speak with Myra for a moment? Shizune can keep an eye on him for a few minutes." Myra looked up at Tsunade and blinked in confusion. Naruto looked at Myra asking only with his eyes if she was going to be ok. Myra smiled at him. "It's ok."

Shizune and Naruto walked down the corridor. Tsunade kept her arms crossed, but was smiling. Myra was looking a little nervous. "I would like to apologize for this morning." Myra bowed rather low. The Hokage snorted. "You're young and I have to remember sometimes that I was young once and in love." Tsunade motioned her hand for them to start walking. Myra eyes were wide with surprise as she looked at the smiling Hokage.

"I wouldn't call it love." They started to walk. Myra kept her head down.

"Then what would you call the feelings that you have for him?" Myra had to think about that for a second. There still wasn't an explanation for her intense emotions for him.

"I thought it was because he's really cute." Myra forced the laughter. The Hokage took a deep breath.

"I hope there is something more to it than that. But I am sure the fact that he has grown into quite the looker helps tremendously." Tsunade winked.

"Lady Tsunade… That's my…" Myra didn't know what to call Naruto at the moment. They really hadn't talked about the relationship. There really wasn't much talking in the relationship at all. "My date you're talking about." They had reached the end of the hallway where Shizune and Naruto were waiting. Naruto held out his arm and smiled. "Shall we?" Myra blushed and took his arm.

"Just remember, don't stay in one place." Tsunade beamed. Myra rolled her eyes. The grand doors opened onto a court yard that had been decorated very festively. There were long buffet tables with mounds of different foods on them. There were people standing around talking. Tsunade motioned for Myra and Naruto to follow. Tsunade thought it be a good idea to start with the Kazekage. They walked to the back of the court yard.

Myra wasn't paying attention to the whispers, although it was plain that it was making Naruto a little upset as he started to tense up again. Myra squeezed his arm and smiled at him. "Don't think about them. I am here with you because I want to be, and that's all that matters." She felt him relax. Tsunade led them to a table set forward of the rest.

Naruto was trying not to laugh at Gaara, who looked like he was rather bored with the whole event. Gaara was wearing almost the same suite Naruto was wearing, but the shirt was tan color. Kankuro was the first to stand as they approached the table. Gaara stood next to his older brother. Tsunade smiled. "Good evening Gaara-sama, I am glad that you could join us this evening."

Gaara bowed slightly. "Lady Tsunade, I was happy to accept the invitation."

"I am glad to have you here this evening. Now if you will excuse me, I have to wonder." Tsunade excused herself. Myra looked to Naruto. "Naruto-sama, are you going to introduce me?"

Naruto jumped, he had never been called "Sama" by anyone, and Myra had said it fairly loud. There were several heads that turned to look at them. Gaara had picked up on the heads turning towards the table. Naruto snapped out of his thought.

"Oh… Right… Gaara this is Myra Ravenheart… Myra-san, this is Gaara of the Desert, the Kazekage of Sunagakure." Naruto said a bit awkwardly. Her voice became deliciously charming.

"I am honored to meet you Gaara-sama." She bowed, then held out her hand.


	21. The Best Laid Plans

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings:I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 21: The best laid plans...

Gaara stepped forward and bowed slightly. "It is I who am honored to meet you Ravenheart-San." He straightened and offered her his hand. They shook hands and Myra did her best not to reel back from the cold sadness she felt when she touched him. Gaara had seen this reaction in people before and he was all too accustom to the response. Though her expression did not change, he felt the subtle flinch in her hand.

Gaara released her hand and continued the introductions, pointing at his older brother. "And may I introduce my older Brother Kankuro." Kankuro simply bowed. Myra returned the bow.

"I would introduce you to my sister; however, I believe that she has disappeared with Shikamaru." Gaara smirked.

"Really?" Myra raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think that Shikamaru-san would be the type that was interested in woman." She blinked. The boys were a bit surprised by Myra's observation.

"What would give you that idea?" Kankuro asked. Naruto was stifling a chuckle. Myra blinked in confusion.

"He didn't seem like the kind of guy that would care about that sort of thing." She imitated Shikamaru rather well. "Too troublesome, so he says. There were several clues scattered in my observations of him that led me to believe that…" She took a breath. "He didn't like girls very much. For instance, at the match yesterday…" Her voice trailed off and she smirked deviously blushing slightly. "He was the only gentleman that wasn't staring at some point."

Naruto felt momentarily guilty and looked at her through his bangs. "You noticed that?" Gaara laughed at Naruto. Myra smiled, putting her hand on his check. Her hand was warm and comforting.

"It was hard not to notice. Lee-san had the best cover when he said something about watching for tactical analysis. Hyuuga-san and Lee-san turned a lovely shade of pink when Lady Tsunade caught them spying on me. Shikamaru was the only one that didn't look, didn't seem to care, and didn't react to being baited. So naturally I assumed, because he hadn't even looked, he was the type of guy that wasn't interested in women." Myra shrugged. Naruto, Kankuro, and Gaara nodded in agreement.

"I can see how you could come to that conclusion, but let me assure you, Shikamaru managed to melt Temari's heart, and she can be a little… Well Temari is…" Kankuro stammered.

"Bossy, defiant, over protective, cold hearted." Gaara filled in the blanks very flatly.

"Not to mention vicious." Naruto added. Myra chuckled. "I like her already." They all chuckled. The laughter died down followed by an odd silence.

"So you're bored to death." Myra smirked. Gaara sighed heavily. "Extremely…"

Kankuro nodded in agreement. "This place is really stuffy."

"So then let's go do something else." Myra suggested. Six pairs of eyes turned to her.

"What?" Naruto voice cracked with the surprise of her suggestion.

"Let's go and do something else. I don't want to be here…" She pointed to Gaara and Kankuro. "They don't want to be here. So why stay?" She asked sincerely.

"Can we do that?" Naruto asked.

"I am not one to ask about these official social gatherings. I avoid them as much as possible mostly because I am not much of a people person." Gaara shrugged.

"I don't know either." Kankuro nodded.

Myra had a plan. "To be honest it would be rude if we all left at once. But if we leave separately we might be able to walk away clean." Myra smirked deviously and chewing on her bottom lip in thought. The light bulb exploded over her head. "Rank hath its privileges." She looked at Gaara. "Kazekage-sama, you could walk over to Lady Tsunade, tell her that you are tired from your journey and walk away. She wouldn't question it. Kankuro-sama would be able to go with you just because." Gaara pondered the idea.

"I'm in." Kankuro grinned. "But what about you and Naruto?"

"I'm gonna get yelled at aren't I?" Naruto shook his head. Myra just smiled.

"I need to eat because I'm hungry and the food is free. Then I go to Lady Tsunade and make the excuse that I am more tired that I thought. I am sure she will protest; make a few comments about engaging in "sport"; followed by some ranting and raving." Naruto interrupted her.

"Am I going to get hit?" He really didn't want to get hit by Tsunade.

"I don't think she will hit you. You will get yelled at… But I wouldn't feel bad, I'll get yelled at too. I'll swear off any more "sport" this evening, and you will offer to make sure I get home safely." She smiled.

"And what happens if that doesn't work?" Gaara stayed toneless.

"Worst case scenario, we sneak the fuck out." Myra nodded. Surprised looks greeted her again. The Kazekage shook his head. Kankuro laughed. Naruto hit the floor (anime style).

"What?" The girl was confused. "We're ninja, how hard would it be to sneak out?"

"I don't sneak." Gaara raised an eyebrow. Myra shook her head.

"You don't have to sneak. You get to walk out the doors with out a second glance. No offence Gaara-sama, you are the Kazekage and you have the intimidating broody look going on." Myra nodded.

Kankuro and Naruto deflated a bit. "I can be intimidating." Naruto puffed out his chest. Myra smiled at him.

"I'm sure you can be." Her tone was slightly mocking, she honesty couldn't see him as intimidating. Kankuro chuckled. Gaara came to his friend's defense. "I wouldn't judge too quickly, Myra-san. I have seen Naruto when he is protecting his friends and this village, he can be MOST intimidating."

Naruto looked at Gaara with a big wide goofy grin. Myra sighed, she was beginning to get a little frustrated. "Ok fine, I'm tapped for ideas on how to escape. I'm going to go eat now. When you boys come up with a plan, let me know." Myra stormed off towards the buffet table.

Gaara waited until Myra was out of earshot. "She flinched, but did not recoil. I approve of her." Naruto blinked. "What?"

"When she shook my hand, she flinched but did not run screaming or show fear." Gaara sipped his tea. Kankuro shrugged. "Who runs screaming anymore?"

"Small children." Gaara nodded. Naruto and Kankuro could hardly breathe from laughing. Gaara rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Honestly, Lady Tsunade, what did you plan to accomplish by allowing that creature escort the Ravenheart to the party?" The old man was beginning to annoy the Hokage.

"I didn't want to achieve anything." Tsunade lied, slamming another saucer of Sake. "Myra-san is the one that made the choice to bring Naruto. I do hope that Neji wasn't too terribly upset." She looked up from her Sake and glared at Hiashi Hyuuga.

"He was not. Actually, he seemed relieved." The clan leader glared back. Tsunade set down her Sake saucer and tried to keep her tone casual.

"I am glad to hear it. Then I hope we can put to rest this silly proposal…" Hiashi interrupted her.

"I do not plan to drop the matter. The Uchiha clan seat on the council has been empty for far too long. After the massacre, the council decided to change the seat to a non voting member of the council until Sasuke Uchiha had come of age to claim it. He is a missing nin now and will never return to the village. The Ravenheart is the last acceptable heir to the Uchiha council seat, the fortune, and anything else left by the Uchihas." An evil smirk danced on his face.

"So your motivation is greed." The Hokage stood up. "I do not believe Myra-san would be interested in such an arrangement, nor would her father. As I recall, you and her father were never the best of friends." Tsunade stared daggers at the arrogant clan leader. Hiashi kept his cool.

"I am thinking of the wellbeing of this village, along with the future of my own clan. An arranged marriage between the Hyuuga clan and Ravenheart clan would be beneficial to both clans and the village." Hiashi said like a politician. Tsunade kept her glare.

"Then there is the one possibility that I doubt you considered. Or you considered it, and it is the true reason you are pushing this arrangement. But why think of unobtainable possibilities… I doubt you will convince her father of such an arrangement, and even if you did, do you honestly believe SHE would allow it?" With that, Tsunade turned from Hiashi and walked away. The Hokage spotted Myra stopping away from Naruto and Gaara.

Myra grabbed a plate and started to wonder around the buffet tables. There was so much to eat and so little she wanted. It was mostly odd foods she never tried, didn't want to try, or just didn't look all that appetizing to her. She found one section of the buffet tables that had mounds of fruits and vegetables. Myra began to load her plate.

Tsunade walked up to her. "Enjoying your-self?" Myra gave the Hokage a fake smile. "You want the honest truth, or a polite response?" Tsunade laughed.

"I would prefer the honest truth in a polite manner." The Hokage raised an eyebrow.

"I am having a delightful time being bored to death." Myra was very cheerful about her response. Tsunade started to scowl.

"You asked for the honest truth. I gave it to you. Look around you… Most of these people here are a lot older than I am. I have nothing in common with them besides the political aspects of who I am." Myra growled.

"I wanted to give you a chance to meet the council in a way that wouldn't be intimidating…" Tsunade sounded concerned. Myra smirked.

"It takes a lot more than a bunch of old politicians to scare me. Actually, I find this situation more intimidating than a board room. Here in these social situations, it reeks of greed, betrayal, deception and a few other things I care not to mention." The girl munched on some celery sticks. Tsunade smirked. "I agree with you, but it will become a must at some point in your life."

Myra nodded. "But that is a LONG way off." Tsunade chuckled in agreement. Myra thought maybe with Tsunade in such a good mood, she could ask if they could leave. She looked back to the table where the boys were still discussing the means of escape, then turned back to Tsunade "Um… Lady Tsunade? Do you think it would be ok if Naruto and I leave after dinner? He promised to show me the village." Myra looked at the Hokage with hope.

The Hokage looked back at Naruto. At that moment he had a devious look in his eye and a foxy grin plastered across his face. Though Gaara showed no emotion, Tsunade could tell he was enjoying the half concocted idea coming from Naruto. Kankuro was trying desperately not to fall over from the laughter. The Hokage let out a long sigh. "Don't do anything too strenuous, you are still supposed to be recovering, and you might want to take the Kazekage and his brother with you. They don't look all that happy to be here either." Myra's face lit up. Tsunade waved as she went back to a corner to drink more Sake and be pestered by council members asking where Myra had run off too.

Myra walked back to the table with a large grin on her face. She couldn't wait to tell them they had a free pass to leave.


	22. Bold Men

Normal  
"Speech"  
_Thought  
**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 22: Bold Men

Myra hurried back to the table. Naruto smiled wide.

"I think I got it! We walk up to Tsunade Obachan and just tell her we're leaving." He nodded his head with finality. Myra coughed to keep herself from laughing at his idea.

"I think that's a brilliant idea." Myra sat down to eat, trying to hide her smirk. Naruto crossed his arms in front of him, a wide triumphant grin spreading across his face. He turned to Gaara and Kankuro. "I knew that would work best."

"I hate to point out one minor flaw in that plan." The three guys turned to her in curiosity. The girl smirked. "I already asked." She said playfully and stuck out her tongue at Naruto. Kankuro laughed heartily. Gaara shook his head smirking. Naruto pouted.

"She said to take Gaara and Kankuro, don't do anything strenuous, and have a good time." The girl went back to her salad. There were smiles all around. Or at least Naruto and Kankuro smiled. Gaara's lip curled upwards. They all ate happily. Myra kept to the fruits and vegetables she could recognize. Naruto ate everything that looked good. The blonde boy had gotten up to go for third or fourth plate, Myra had lost count, and Kankuro had wondered off to find Temari and Shikamaru. Myra had been left with Gaara. There was an awkward silence between them.

"Do you love him?" The Kazekage's soft dream like voice hit her unexpectedly. Myra flinched at the idea, but smiled softly before she answered.

"Ask me again tomorrow after all the pain killers are out of my system." She was avoiding the question by being sarcastic. Gaara raised an eyebrow. Myra felt the flicker of concern for his friend, but he kept his emotionless expression. Myra sighed.

"I don't know. I met him 3 days ago. Logic dictates that what I feel is a hormonal response to a physical attraction." She sounded skeptical of her own explanation.

"When have women ever been logical about emotions?" The stoic Kazekage countered. _"Busted!"_ she thought to herself. Myra had to laugh.

"Heheh… Never. I'm just not sure what to say yet. And besides, if I do feel that way, shouldn't he be the first person I tell?" She winked.

Gaara nodded. Naruto returned to the table with another mound of teriyaki chicken skewers. Myra's eyes went wide.

"How can you eat all that?" She was amazed by his consumption. The blonde shrugged.

"I've always been able to eat a lot. Choji is the only other person I know that can eat more than I can." Naruto grinned and started to chow down.

"So, have we decided what we want to do as soon as we leave?" Myra asked. Naruto looked up at her with a devious smile. "I have an idea." She ignored the lecherous intentions behind that thought and glared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"We're going to set that idea aside for now and think of something more appropriate for a group setting." Myra said holding back the fits of giggles as Naruto turned beet red. Gaara just shook his head. Myra could feel the Kazekage wanting to release a loud belly laugh. _"I guess he doesn't want to ruin that cool stoic exterior."_

Then Myra felt the cold icy stare burning into her from across the court yard. She knew what it felt like to be stared at by a Hyuuga. It wasn't Neji, she hadn't seen him all night, and this felt greedy and hungry for power. She turned her gaze ever so slightly. If looks could kill, Hiashi should have dropped dead on the spot. Hiashi kept his cool, but a bead of sweat trickled down his temple. _"This girl is more than she appears."_

Naruto looked over at Myra. "That might be fun, what do you think Myra-chan?" Naruto froze. He had seen that stare before and now he understood something he hadn't before. He didn't have time to explore those possibilities, but he would come back to them later. It that moment, as he looked at her, he saw Sasuke. That determined, uncaring, confident teetering on the border line of arrogant, and dangerous stare that could bring most people to their knees. He followed her gaze to the Hyuuga clan leader and growled inwardly. Gaara did the same as he noticed the silent conflict of stares. Hiashi turned his gaze away from her and walked into the crowd.

Myra whispered to her-self. "What the hell was HIS problem?"

"That man always has a problem." Naruto blurted rather bitterly. Myra chewed her bottom lip. _"I'll have to make a phone call later."_

Naruto relaxed a bit and mused about Myra being cute when she was deep in thought. He smiled at her. "What'cha thinking about?" He asked her. She snapped out of her thoughts.

"Oh, nothing that can't wait till later." She shook the unsettling Hyuuga man from her mind at the moment. "So did you decide was we are ALL doing?" She eyed Naruto.

"We're going to take a walking tour of Konoha at night, followed by late night training at the Lee's Dojo." Naruto looked pleased with himself. Myra's eye twitched. _"Training?"_

"Sounds like fun…" She forced the smile. It really did sound like fun, except the training part. She felt that cold Hyuuga stare again, but didn't bother to turn this time. Myra stood up.

"I suggest that we get going. It's getting late, and the weather is turning a bit chilly." She pulled her wrap around her. Naruto and Gaara nodded. The blonde boy pulled off his blazer and wrapped it around her shoulders. Myra blushed furiously and placed a thank you peck on his cheek. "Thank you kind sir…" then smiled at him.

Gaara eyed her then looked at his blonde friend. They both blinked at the Kazekage. Gaara sighed. Even if neither of them wanted to admit it, it was obvious to Gaara how they felt about each other. The three headed for the grand doors of the court yard. Myra kept a firm grip on Naruto's arm. She could feel the cold stare following them and it was making her a little nervous. They got closer to the doors and Hiashi stepped in front of them.

"Lord Kazekage!" The man said as if they were old friends. "It is an honor to see you again." Hiashi was being forcibly pleasant. Myra straightened her posture and tightened her grip on Naruto. She felt Gaara and Naruto bristle with disdain. Gaara didn't blink. "What do you want Hyuuga-sama?"

"Astute as always, Gaara-sama. I was wondering if I might steal the company of the Lady Ravenheart for a moment?" Hiashi grinned. Naruto growled. Gaara kept his face expressionless and his monotone voice.

"I believe you would need Uzumaki-sama's permission for that." The Kazekage said with a hint of gleeful satisfaction. The clan leader became uneasy. Gaara continued. "Since I did not attend this evening's festivities with the Lady, I am not in a position to give you permission for anything that concerns her company." He turned his head to Naruto, who was looking pretty pissed off by Hiashi's insult. "Naruto Uzumaki escorted Lady Ravenheart this evening. So it would be impolite NOT to ask him; and even more impolite NOT to ask the Lady herself." The color drained from Hiashi's face at the end of Gaara's little speech. Myra knew what Gaara had done, and she was going to thank him later, but now wasn't the time. Naruto was getting angrier by the second. The Fox stirred in his cage.

"_**Kill him…You know you want to…"**_ The Fox growled. Myra felt the anger building in Naruto to dangerous levels. The air around them was becoming thick with the tension. Myra let go of Naruto's arm and placed herself between the agitated boys and the visually nervous clan leader.

The girl looked at Naruto and smiled. She never broke eye contact with Naruto as she addressed Hiashi. "I believe I have a few moments I can spare." She turned and stared daggers at the clan leader. "But I only have a few." Myra felt Gaara calm the anger boiling at his surface. Naruto wasn't letting it go. Myra turned back to Naruto, putting a warm hand on his chest. Naruto felt the wave of warm comforting energy pass over him. "I'll be fine." She whispered in his ear. "Wait for me?" She looked in his deep blue eyes, pleading with her own chocolate orbs.

Naruto went euphoric for a moment and couldn't think straight. The Fox grumbled in his cage. _**"I hate it when she does that!" **_The Fox slammed the mental door shut.

"Always." Was Naruto's breathless answer. She hadn't expected an answer like that. She blushed and felt euphoric herself, but she had to quickly compose herself. She watched the boys walk through the doors before she turned back to Hiashi. Myra crossed her arms in front of her, cocking her hip to one side. She exuded the_"What the hell do you want?_" attitude.

"How can I help you, Hyuuga-sama?" Her tone was cold and uncaring.

"I would like to speak to you about the possibility of staying at the Hyuuga compound instead of that lonely apartment." The clan leader was oozing charm.

"I have already declined several invitations to stay at several different locations before I left my home. I thought it best I should stay on my own. This way I couldn't be accused of insulting any one family." Myra was just as charming. Hiashi frowned.

"Wise decision." He couldn't argue with that logic. It was a perfect political maneuver. With her staying on her own, no one family could be accused of biasing her in any way. He tried to change tactics.

"Good, good… So, how do you like being in Kono…" She interrupted him.

"I do apologize, Hyuuga-sama, but I am keeping Uzumaki-SAMA waiting." She was rubbing it in. "If this conversation is going to be something OTHER than idle chit chat, then please make your point." She started to tap her foot. He narrowed his eyes.

"Is it a crime to be concerned for your well being Lady Ravenheart?" Hiashi was still being sickly sweet. Myra didn't mind being called Lady Ravenheart when Gaara said it. But hearing that conniving, slimy, arrogant asshole call her Lady Ravenheart made her skin crawl.

"No, there is no crime in your concern. I am perfectly content with my accommodations, thank you. I am also perfectly capable of taking care of my own well being. Besides, I have Uzumaki-SAMA next door should I need anything. Now if you will excuse me, I do not wish to keep Uzumaki-SAMA or the Kazekage waiting any longer." Myra turned on her heel and stormed through the doors.


	23. It's all about Sasuke

Normal  
"Speech"  
_Thought  
**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 23: Its all about Sasuke...

Naruto and Gaara waited just outside the Hokage building. Naruto was pacing nervously. He was going to give her 5 more minutes and then he was going to walk back in there and beat the living shit out of that Hyuuga asshole.

"Please explain to me how pacing back and forth is going to make waiting for her any easier?" Gaara leaned against the wall. Naruto grumbled at his friend and continued to pace.

"It helps me think." Naruto was thinking about a lot. He was trying to work out how to get away with beating Hiashi to a bloody pulp. The Fox stirred

"_**Just go back in there, KILL the bastard; Then, take Myra home and…"**_ The blonde stopped pacing.

"_Would you SHUT UP!"_ Naruto spat at the Fox. Gaara picked up on Naruto's internal conflict. The Kazekage interrupted. "Have you told her about that yet?" Naruto went pale. "I guess you haven't." Gaara sighed.

"And exactly how do I tell her I have a demon sealed inside me." Naruto hissed.

"_**You could just let me out and I'll explain it."**_ The Fox licked his lips.

"_OH HELL NO!"_ An angry grimace crossed Naruto's face. The Fox roared with a combination of laughter and annoyance. Gaara took a deep breath. "You need to tell her, she deserves that much."

Naruto tensed, trying to push the anger back. "I'll tell her eventually." Myra picked that exact moment to emerge from the Hokage building.

"Tell me what?" She looked at Naruto questioningly. The blonde went pale and looked a little guilty. He started to rub the back of his head.

"I… um… was going to tell you… that um… it's ah…really late… Yeah… Late… and maybe we should think about just heading to the Dojo instead of walking around this late at night." He smiled. It was a weak cover, and Myra could see right through it before he had said "um" the second time.

"I guess we can save that for another night." She pouted. "But do we have to train? I mean do you guys do anything OTHER than train? Like something fun?" She looked at the boys hopefully.

"I thought training WAS fun…" Naruto looked crest fallen.

"I don't think training is fun. I see training as a necessity to keep the body and mind alert and active." Gaara nodded.

"That's because you don't sleep." Naruto teased. Myra was just staring at them dumbfounded for a moment. She wasn't going to get out of it. She could just watch. There was an evil thought that ran through her head. She shook that thought out of her mind and shrugged.

"Well, if we are going to this Dojo, that's fine, but I am not training in this dress, or these shoes." Myra used Naruto to steady herself as she took off her heels. The shoes were fine for walking around the village, but sparing or fighting crime were something completely different. She looked up at Naruto and smiled.

"Can we stop by the apartment so I can change, or at least grab something a little more appropriate to wear?" The boys blinked.

"I believe Ravenheart-sama has a good point." The Kazekage nodded.

"Thank you." She said sweetly to Gaara. "Now can I ask one more HUGE favor? Call me Myra… Please?" She looked Gaara and pouted. Gaara resisted her pout with extreme difficulty, but relented without loosing his cool.

"If you insist." He closed his eyes and crossed his arms. Myra bounced with her small victory. Naruto snickered to himself. _"Good, I'm not the only one that has trouble with that DAMN pout."_

"I say we meet at the Dojo in 20 minutes?" Naruto grabbed Myra's hand. Gaara nodded and walked back into the Hokage building. Naruto scooped Myra into his arms bridal style. Myra was a little shocked.

"What are you doing?" She blinked at him confused.

"I'm carrying you? So you don't hurt your feet?" The blonde was also confused. She smiled at him. "How sweet, but its ok, I can walk… It won't kill me, so you can put me down."

"But I don't want to." He pulled her closer to him. She felt the blush creep over her. Myra looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "All right, Pretty Boy… But no funny business. We only have 20 minutes and it's late." She mocked him. "I wouldn't want to wake your neighbors." Myra giggled. Naruto blushed and chose that moment to leap straight up causing her to grip around his neck.

They returned to the apartment and Naruto gently let Myra down.

"So… Meet me on the balcony in a few minutes?" She fumbled for her key. He was fumbling for his key.

"You know you don't have to go." He said shyly. She looked at him and tilted her head. "Why wouldn't I want to go?"

"Because you sounded a little disappointed that we weren't going to go walk around the village." He was concerned.

"I am… But It isn't anything I wont get over. The village will be here tomorrow and I can go looking around a shop later." She smiled. "Besides, I might be able to pick up a few new moves." She smiled deviously.

"Heh…" He looked down at his feet not really wanting to talk about it. "Um, can I ask you a question?" Myra felt his apprehension. She put her hand on his cheek.

"You can ask me anything." She smiled at him. Her hand was warm on his cheek.

"How much do you know about Sasuke Uchiha?" He choked back the emotions.

* * *

Karin asked him. "You do know we are really close to Konoha. They might find us" Sasuke just glared at her. Karin shut up. Sasuke climbed the tree and watched off in the distance. He had fallen asleep that morning. The nightmare came as usual, but it was different this time. Sasuke had seen his parents dead in the middle of the floor. He was used to that part by now. But then instead of the conversation with Itachi, he saw a dead boy not much older than he was at the time of the massacre 

Then the girl appeared and started to sob over the dead boy. Sasuke remembered the boy. They had played together once or twice. The boy had attended the ninja academy with Sasuke, but he was in a different class. He was a cousin from somewhere else. Sasuke's memory was hazy at best. He must not have been important enough for Sasuke to remember. Sasuke approached the crying girl.

"You aren't supposed to be here." Sasuke told her. The girl laid the boy back on the floor. She didn't turn to look at Sasuke.

"Yes I was. I was supposed to be here. I would have been too young to save him, but I would have been able to die with him." The girl didn't look up from the boy. She put her hand on the boy's face. Sasuke moved closer. He had the urge to reach out and console her. Explain to her that he knew and understood her pain. He kept his distance.

"He was your brother?" There was no emotion in Sasuke's voice. The girl turned to look at Sasuke. Sasuke was momentarily stunned. She had the trademark Uchiha glare. Her hair was long to her waist and it was as black as a moonlight night. She wasn't wearing much of anything, just a white tank top and purple flame boxers. Her skin was golden brown like it she preferred a sun filled day to anything else. She kept glaring at him.

The girl stood up and whipped the tears from her face. "Yes he was my brother." She closed her eyes and took a breath. "And those two people back there were your parents?" She asked Sasuke.

"You shouldn't be here." He kept his tone even and emotionless. Sasuke was confused. If that boy was her brother and he died in the massacre, then was she an Uchiha too?

"And where should I be?" The girl became angry and intensified the chocolate brown glare.

"You should wake up and end this nightmare." Sasuke moved within arms length and slapped her across the face. Moments later he woke up to the pain of his hand hitting the tree. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was still in the tree above the camp. The others were off doing what ever it was they did when they camped. Sasuke kept a look out for Karin. Although she was useful, she was the most annoying girl he had ever met. She had a tendency to try and do unspeakable things to him. He shuddered with that creepy thought.

The day wore on to night. The night was cold and clear. Sasuke watched over his sleeping group. They weren't his friends, just a means to an end. Normally, he slept and allowed the nightmare to remind him why he was still searching for Madera. He had defeated Itachi and left him beaten and broken. Killing Itachi didn't seem good enough. So Sasuke left Itachi the barely alive, hideous, crippled and blind (AN1).

Madera became his target. Madera was the true reason his parents were dead. Madera was the force behind the destruction of his life, all to control the Kyuubi. But the nightmare had changed, or had it. Sasuke stared at the moon high above the trees. His thoughts turned back to a time when he was a part of Team 7, and they had camped out in a spot, very similar to this. He caught himself thinking about Sakura and Naruto, but he used the vision of his parents dead on the floor to push his true friends away.

Madera came back to the forefront of his mind again. "_Where was that bastard? How far could he have gotten?_ " Were the thoughts that Sasuke tried to busy himself with. They had to sneak into town tomorrow for supplies; maybe, he could find a new lead to the underground pit of hell Madera had managed to hide himself in. It was late and Sasuke shut his eyes again. Sleep came effortlessly, though it wasn't a dreamless one.

* * *

_**AN1:**_ Ok, I know. I know. Sasuke wants to kill Itachi. But with the revelation that Madera is the one behind everything in his pitiful, self absorbed life, Sasuke had a moment of true inspiration and thought for himself. He decided instead of "to the death" he went with "to the Pain" ... Basically... Itachi is an unidentifiable lump of flesh somewhere, with no eyes, no hands, not feet, no nose, no tongue, but has perfect ears to hear the shrieks and cries of being called a monster. Justice as far as I'm concerned. Madera is still alive. _Insert evil laughter._ Where are Itachi's eyes?... Good questions... I'll keep you posted... 


	24. Learn Something New

Normal  
"Speech"  
_Thought  
**Kyuubi**_

Warnings:I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 24: Learn something new

"How much do you know about Sasuke Uchiha?" Naruto choked back the emotions. Myra blinked at him. She could tell this subject was a little touchy.

"I haven't had the chance to talk to Lady Tsunade about the Uchiha family legacy. I remember you mentioned Sasuke yesterday while I was fighting Lee. Beyond that, I don't know much of anything." She was being honest. Naruto looked away from her for a moment, then he looked back at her.

"Sasuke was," He paused and re thought the statement. "IS, my best friend. Him, Sakura and me were Team 7, with Kakashi as our Sensei." Naruto turned away from her. "The first day we were a team, he said he had an ambition to resurrect his clan and kill a man. The man was his brother Itachi." Myra was listening intently.

"We weren't enough for Sasuke. He wanted more power to kill Itachi. Sasuke left the village." Naruto tensed up. Myra wrapped her arms around him and put her head on his back. "You tried to bring him back, and he wouldn't come back with you."

"I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't fast enough. It is the one promise I haven't been able to keep. Just when I think we're getting close to finding him, he vanishes. I tried looking for Itachi thinking that I would find Sasuke that way, but Itachi has fallen off the grid too. I don't know where to look anymore." Naruto hung his head.

"Here's a stupid idea." She tried to cheer him up. "Stop looking for him." Naruto rounded on her like she had said the craziest thing he had ever heard. Myra got pushed back a few feet.

"I WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON SASUKE!" He yelled at her before he could stop himself. She looked at him with fear in her eyes. "I…I didn't…" She stammered, tears welling up. She put her head down and started to fumble for her door key. He reached out for her and she backed away from him. Naruto had scared her and he hated himself. He stood feet from her just staring in shock.

Myra turned away from him and put the key in her door. "I didn't mean it that way." He voice was shaky with tears. "I meant that sometimes, when you're looking for something and you can't find it… Stop looking for it and it will find you." She went in the door and the click of the closing door brought him out of his shock.

Myra flopped on her bed and cried. She tried to understand Naruto's anger. She didn't even know what had brought up the subject of Sasuke to begin with. Myra changed out of her dress. She put on her black body suit, boots and her kunai holster. She was in the mood to train now. Myra went into the kitchen. The birds were snoring happily until she opened the balcony doors. Edgar opened a sleep eye.

"_What has you in a tizzy?"_ The bird asked.

"I don't feel like talking about it right now. I'm going out." She was channeling her fear and hurt into energy.

"_You just got in? Shouldn't you be resting?"_ Poe blinked her eyes open.

"I feel fine." Myra growled. "I'm going to go let off some steam. Just leave me alone for a while." And she jumped off the balcony.

"_I bet it was that Fox…"_ Edgar hissed.

"_No, the Fox has kept to his word and not revealed himself to her. That isn't why she's upset."_ Poe was calm as always.

"_If you know so much, why is Myra so upset?"_ The large raven moved closer to his smaller companion.

"_She is upset for many reasons. The most pressing matter at the moment is the boy. I do not know the details, but it seems they had a misunderstanding."_ Poe fluffed her feathers.

"_There is no difference between the boy and The Fox."_ Edgar scowled. Poe shook her head.

"_You, oh spirit of knowledge, should know more than any, that the boy and the Fox are different personalities." _Poe turned and started out the window.

"_I will admit they are different… For now… The Fox's chakra slowly filters through the boy. It is an ingenious way to contain a chakra spirit indefinitely. However, should the boy die, the Fox dies."_ Edgar ruffled his feathers.

"_And what happens should they merge?"_ Poe turned back to her mate. Edgar was silent for a moment.

"_When that happens, history may repeat itself."_ Edgar hung his head.

"_We will weather the storm as it comes. It may come to pass this time their hearts may be strong enough to endure." _Poe mused.

"_Don't go and get all cryptic on me now."_ The large raven tilted his head. Poe ruffled her feathers.

"_I am the spirit of Wisdom. I am supposed to be cryptic."_ Poe shrugged.

* * *

Naruto watched the raven haired girl close the door. First he couldn't believe that he snapped at her like that. Then to misunderstand what she was telling him. 

"_**You are such an IDIOT!"**_ The Fox snarled.

"_Call me all the names you want to this time… I deserve it."_ Naruto went into his apartment and flopped on the bed.

"_**Actually, this time around, I'm speechless… She must think you hate her or something."**_ The Fox was angry at Naruto. It wasn't surprising. The Fox was perpetually angry at the world, so being angry at Naruto wasn't anything to be concerned about.

"_Just so you know, you can't make me feel any worse than I already do."_ Naruto got up and started to change. There was a silent moment where he could hear her sobs from the apartment next door. It tore him up. He had caused her pain.

"_**Go talk to her."**_ The Fox's tone was somber and unexpected.

"What?" Naruto said as he looked in the mirror.

"_**Go…And talk to her. Myra is…You … Just go Brat, before I force my way out and do it myself."**_ The Fox shut the mental door. Naruto didn't think about questioning what was going on with the Fox, nor did he want to admit the Fox was right. He pulled on his black and orange track suit and was opening his back door. He watched Myra dive off of her balcony. She landed on the pavement below without a sound. Myra shimmered and was gone. Naruto jumped off his balcony in pursuit. He headed for the dojo, thinking that where she would go first.

* * *

Myra found the dojo. It wasn't as difficult as she thought it would be. She honed in on Gaara and found him sitting on the roof of the dojo. She heard more voices from inside the dojo. Myra focused a little more and could sense the few people she had already met, and a few more. Myra stayed in the shadows of the tree line not wanting to go inside. She needed to let out some of her aggression, but she didn't feel like being sociable. 

She heard a loud bark, and she was flat on her face being pinned by a large white dog. "Akamaru! Where'd you go this time?" A deep gruff voice came from behind her. The dog growled at her, footsteps coming closer. She tried to move, but the dog sat on her.

"Off… Please…" She pleaded. The large white dog let her get up. She sat up and stared at the big canine. Myra sighed.

"So you are Akamaru? Now I see why people can't hide from you." She reached up and allowed the dog to sniff her hand. Akamaru sniffed at her hand; then sniffed her face. The dog licked her face and whimpered. Akamaru could smell the salt of her tears and knew she was upset. The girl reached up and scratched the big dog behind his ears.

"I'll be ok. It isn't anything serious." She ruffled Akamaru's head. Kiba came around the corner and stared at Myra.

"You seem to have lost your dog." Myra smiled. Kiba just stared at her with his mouth open. Myra shook her head and looked at Akamaru.

"Is he always this talkative?" She giggled. Akamaru kicked Kiba, which seemed to snap Kiba out of his staring spell. "Uh… I guess you must be Raven…"

"My name is Myra. There is no need for anyone to call me anything else." She snapped. She didn't mean to snap at the poor guy, but it was a little late. Kiba bristled. Akamaru nudged Kiba and whimpered. Kiba calmed down a bit.

"Fine then, Myra. I'm Kiba Inuzuka and this is Akamaru. I'm sorry if he hurt you." He forced out a little bitterness in his voice. Myra relaxed a bit and smiled.

"It's all good. I didn't mean to snap, I've had a pretty rough day." She knelt down and scratched Akamaru behind the ears again. Kiba looked at her with surprise. Myra stood back up.

"What?" She asked.

"Akamaru doesn't normally let strangers pet him." Kiba tilted his head.

"I have a way with animals." Myra shrugged. They started to walk into the clearing. Myra felt him before she saw him. Naruto practically flew out of the trees to the roof where Gaara was sitting. She hunkered behind a tree and just watched. Kiba looked a little confused and stopped right behind her. Maybe there was a way to show him what she meant, not just tell him. She was going to do something that she didn't like doing, and hope it works out for the best. Myra closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked up again at Kiba, blood red sharingan blazing in her eyes. Kiba was caught before he knew what was happening.

"You haven't seen me. I was never here." The tomoe spun in her eyes and the Genjutsu took a hold over him. Akamaru was whimpering at her again.

"He's ok Akamaru. He wont remember that he talked to me. That's all. But the favor I need is from you." She knelt down in front of the large dog, scratching behind his ear. "I am sure that when you and your friend here walk into that clearing, Naruto is going to want you to help him find me." The large dog tilted his head. Akamaru whimpered and whined. He was asking why. The dog wasn't capable of communication like the birds just yet. Akamaru was young and would soon learn to communicate with people other than his master.

"I need to teach Naruto a lesson, and since I know that you can find me easily now that you know who I am, hiding is going to be a little difficult. Lead him away. Take him to places I've been or flat out refuse, have fun with it. I will let him know when I want to be found." The dog barked. Myra smiled and shimmered out of sight.

Kiba snapped out of his daze few seconds later. Akamaru was panting happily. "Hey... Akamaru... Are you ready for that late night walk?" The great dog barked and they walked into the clearing.


	25. The Search

Normal  
"Speech"  
_Thought  
**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 25: The Search

Naruto was running as fast as he could to get to the dojo. As he got close to the clearing, he saw Gaara sitting on the roof. He jumped from the tree line to the roof, landing with a loud THUD next to Gaara. Naruto's breath had gotten caught in his throat and he was having a hard time talking.

"Is…" pant wheeze, "Myra," Wheeze gulp "here yet?" Naruto put his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. Gaara turned to regard his friend. "I have not seen her yet. I assumed she would be arriving with you." The Kazekage blinked. Naruto turned around, still breathing heavy from his panic to get to the dojo.

"What did you do?" Gaara was more than concerned and took a step closer to his blonde friend.

"I… Yelled at her… About Sasuke… I was trying to tell her that she reminded me of Sasuke… I'm not sure what happened after that. She looked at me like I was a monster with fear in her eyes. I had convinced myself to go talk to her but she took off before I had the chance. I was hoping she had come here." The blonde looked off in the direction of the tree line.

"Brilliant… She told you to stop looking for him, didn't she?" Gaara crossed his arms in front of him. Naruto didn't say anything, he continued to sulk lower.

"I'm not going to say anything more. I am sure you are going to be beat yourself up more than what I could do to you. I will help you find her, but you have to fix this." Gaara's sand whirled around him and he appeared on the ground in front of the dojo. Naruto heard the Akamaru's bark from just beyond the tree line.

Kiba and Akamaru came out of the trees into the clearing. Naruto jumped down. "Oi, Kiba… Can I borrow Akamaru?" The great white dog narrowed his eyes at Naruto.

"What'cha need Akamaru for?" Kiba asked.

"I need to track someone down." Naruto said plainly.

"Not Sasuke again." Kiba rolled his eyes. Familiar faces started to emerge from the dojo. Naruto was getting a little frustrated. The mention of Sasuke was beginning to get on his nerves.

"No not Sasuke." The blonde said through gritted teeth. Akamaru started to huff and gruff at Kiba. Kiba's eyes went wide; then he turned to Naruto.

"Akamaru said he won't help. He also said you're an insensitive gitt, and you can find her without him…" Kiba still looked shocked and confused. The great white dog sat down. Naruto looked at the dog.

"But, Akamaru? How did…" Naruto's eyes went wide. "Then she WAS here…" Naruto ran off into the tree line where he had seen Kiba and Akamaru emerge. It was there, the faint smell that he wanted to drink in. She had pressed up against the tree and the scent of her still lingered. Sakura walked up behind Naruto.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Naruto looked a little angry when he turned around to Sakura.

"Sakura, can you tell if someone is under the influence of genjutsu?" Naruto asked the kunoichi. Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Uh, sure. But who.."

"You may want to take a look at Kiba." He skulked back into the clearing. Kiba started to protest. "Wouldn't I know if I were under some sort of genjutsu? I mean I have Kurenai as a sensei, it would be embarrassing." Kiba laughed. Akamaru whimpered. Sakura looked over Kiba and extended her chakra senses. She found what Naruto said would be there. Sakura touched her finger to Kiba's forehead. "Release!"

Something snapped inside Kiba. "THAT BITCH!" He continue to rant and rave while Hinata and Lee held him down. Sakura ran back to Naruto. He was standing next to Gaara. Gaara always looked serious, but even Sakura could tell, this was more serious than usual.

"I thought she didn't know genjutsu?" Sakura asked. Shikamaru walked up. "She sure as hell didn't use it in the match yesterday. Man that would have been more of a pain than the lightning."

"She is a sharingan user. Genjutsu is one of the many abilities that she would have at her disposal. I was hoping to get here in time to see the match." Gaara sounded almost disappointed. Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru all looked at him a little surprised.

"I'm the Kazekage and I am in contact with the Hokage on a constant basis about a great many things. Matters of the Uchiha clan happen to be one of those things. Even I was curious to see if her skills were as exceptional as the other Uchiha's I have encountered." Gaara nodded.

"I don't think we saw half of what she can do." Shikamaru shrugged.

Sakura scoffed. "What are you talking about Shikamaru, I heard Lady Tsunade and Kakashi-sensei talking about the match this morning. They said that her style was very basic, like she hadn't really learned anything. Sure she's fast, and the sharingan gives her the ability to see what her opponent is going to do next, that doesn't make her a…"

Gaara interrupted. "A genius… As are most if the Uchiha that posses the abilities of the sharingan." Naruto was still silent. Neji walked over to the group.

"I would have to agree with Shikamaru. We all assumed her abilities should have been as exceptional as Sasuke's. And with her advantage of the sharingan everyone assumed she would be an accomplished fighter." Neji mused.

"She kept up with Lee didn't she?" Naruto spoke, trying to defend her.

"I watch her dodge and deflect most of what Lee dished out. Even in her fight with Shikamaru, she evaded him. She did not take the offensive. When she did finally attack Shikamaru, she was more concerned with his well being than the fact that she beat him." Neji took a breath.

"Oh yeah… It was a controlled lightning attack. Had she turned up the chakra output, she would have killed him easily." Sakura was shocked by her own realization. The wheels were turning in Naruto's head. Gaara, on one hand was enjoying the recount of the match he had wanted to see, but was concerned about Myra. Neji continued.

"In her fight with me, I knew she was much faster than I was. I have a very difficult time landing a blow on Lee, so I didn't think I could land a decent punch or hit a chakra point on her. She was injured and she had stopped using her sharingan all together. I am still a bit curious as to why she stopped using her greatest advantage, but she still defended to keep me back rather than make a direct assault." Neji finished. Naruto blinked.

"So what does it all mean?" Sakura looked to Shikamaru.

"It means several things. One: She toyed with all of us and she is better than she appears. Two: She has no desire to fight or harm anyone. Three: She really has a lot to learn. And finally, all of the above." Shikamaru nodded. The group nodded in shared agreement.

"Ok, so that's all wonderful and all, but it doesn't explain why she used genjutsu on Kiba and why Akamaru wont help Naruto find her. I didn't know she was lost." Sakura was confused. Gaara turned to Naruto. Naruto started to skulk away. Sakura started to chase after him, but Gaara stopped her.

"He has to do this alone. That is why Myra stopped Kiba and Akamaru. Kiba saw her and Akamaru can track her by scent. She didn't want to make it easy for him to find her." Gaara confessed.

"What happened?" Sakura was shocked.

"Sasuke happened." Gaara watched his blonde friend disappear into the trees of the forest.

* * *

Naruto run through the forest back to his apartment. He wasn't sure what he had to do.

"_Do you think that the birds will help find her?"_ He turned his thought inward as he continued to run.

"_**I doubt it. Myra made it very clear that she wants you to find her, and no one else. You have to think Brat. She isn't going to make this easy for you."**_ The Fox was sulking just as much as Naruto.

"_What is your deal anyway? You don't call anyone by a name."_ Naruto asked.

"_**I have no reason or want to explain anything to you."**_ The Fox trailed out of the mental connection, but did not shut the door all together.

"_Fine, be that way… But I need to ask you something, can I borrow your nose?"_ Naruto thought it was worth a try.

"_**What are you talking about Brat?"**_ The Fox's ears perked up.

"_You're a fox… Can't you smell stuff like a dog?"_ Naruto was hopefull.

"_**Sure Kid… Why the hell not…"**_ The Fox grumbled. Naruto felt the serge of chakra envelope him. The dark seemed to turn to day as his eyes changed to the Fox's slits. The dark of the world became a bright place and he finally noticed the putrid smell. In the distance he could smell something beautiful.

Naruto changed directions following the scent trail. It was faint, but the smell of cherries, jasmine and peaches was intoxicating. His mind went blank with the desire to find the source of that smell. He tuned out everything else. His one and only purpose at that moment was finding her. He needed to find her.

Naruto allowed his more animal instincts take over. Before he knew it he was at the top of the Hokage monument staring over the village. This was where the scent trail stopped, but she wasn't here.

Naruto couldn't understand. This is where everything had led him, and she wasn't here. He got closer to the edge of the stone face of the Yondiame. He sat down facing out to the village. He let go of the extra chakra he borrowed from the Fox.

"So did I loose her too?" He put his head down.


	26. I Confess

Normal  
"Speech"  
_Thought  
**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 26: I confess.

Myra raced out of the forest. It was only a matter of time before Naruto or someone else figured out the genjutsu on Kiba. Myra had left it up to Akamaru to help Naruto or not, but even so, she was going to use one more tactic to stall Naruto.

She raced to the top of the Hokage monument. She stood on the Yondiame's head for a few moments. She looked up at the moon shining brightly overhead. She didn't have time to muse about the perfect setting. Naruto was moving quickly towards the monument. She could feel his anger and his despair. Myra had passed a small cave entrance on the way up the mountain. She took the trail back down and ducked inside to wait.

It was only a few minutes that Myra had to wait. Naruto passed the small cave on the way up to the top. She waited a few more moments and slowly crept back up to the top. She saw him standing near the edge of the face. His chakra was more intense than she had ever felt, then it dissipated. Myra stood still, and kept her own chakra suppressed. She didn't want to spoil her moment.

Naruto sat on the edge of the face. "So did I loose her too?" He hung his head. She left him to linger a while longer. She felt his despair and misery envelope him. Myra couldn't let this game go on anymore. It hurt her to see him like this.

"I am not Sasuke." She whispered. Naruto whipped around to her. He stood up, he didn't know if he wanted to be angry with her, or hold on to her and never let her go. So he stood there hanging his head.

"I know your not, but there are a few things..." Naruto kept his head down

"Don't even Pretty Boy." It was the first time she spat the nick name she gave him as a sign of affection. It hurt him a lot more than he showed. "My biggest pet peeve in this world is to be compared to someone else. It's bad enough that I have my father's reputation to deal with. But I walk in the gates, and everyone has this preconceived notion that I am like this guy Sasuke. Everyone here has put him on this pedestal making him out to be god's gifts to the world, and I am supposed to live up to that? You people are CRAZY!" She was trying not to cry.

"Sasuke had the same problem with Itachi, and would probably find it very amusing that he was causing this problem for someone else. I think you are more alike then you want to admit." The words had fallen out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Now she was angry and she was staring at him. Naruto felt the bone chilling stare slice through him. _"Yep, she can stare like him too…"_

"You know what… Fuck you…" She was very quiet. "I won't compete with a ghost. Good luck with finding him." She started to walk away. Her heart was breaking a little more with each step she took, but she wasn't going to be a replacement. She felt a hand around her wrist.

"I'm not going to let you walk away from me, not like this." Naruto stood behind her. Myra tried to wriggle out of his grasp.

"Let go of me." Her voice was icy.

"Not until you hear what I have to say." She could hear the hurt in his voice. Myra stopped moving.

"I know you aren't Sasuke. There are moments when you do something that reminds me of him. I am even guilty of thinking that having you here would be like having him back, but you aren't Sasuke." He let go of her. Myra lowered her head.

"I don't want you to be Sasuke. I want you to be Myra." He stepped closer to her. She looked up at him, tears falling down her checks. "Because if you were Sasuke, I couldn't tell Myra I love her." Myra put her hands on his lips. She could feel the truth of the words flowing through her touch. She stood there for a few moments, eyes wide as dinner plates. She felt the truth of his words flow through her. He loved her, not the shadow she thought she was to him. Myra didn't have to search deep down to know how she felt.

"I love you too, Naruto." It was a perfect moment under the moon lit sky, standing on top of the Hokage monument. The kiss lasted for what seemed like an eternity. They both cursed the need for air as their lips parted. Myra put her head on his chest. She felt his heart pounding beneath her ear. Naruto put his arms around her small frame, pulling her close, not wanting to let go.

"I'm sorry I got angry with you." Myra whispered, warm tears falling on his chest.

"And I'm sorry I yelled at you." Naruto squeezed her tight to him. Myra's breath came out a little constricted, "Um… Naruto… I can't breathe…"

Naruto chuckled softly and loosened his grip on her, but didn't let go. Myra inhaled deeply. She pushed away from him gently, whipping away her tears. His grip slid from around her to her wrist.

"Where do you think you are going?" He asked her half playfully, half possessively. She blinked at him.

"Back to the dojo to see if anyone is still there. I need to work out some aggression." She said with a raised eyebrow. He looked at her with a foxy grin and she could tell what he was thinking before he said a word.

"I know how to work out that aggression." Naruto's smirk was about a mile wide. Myra shook her head and chuckled.

"Wrong kind of aggression Pretty Boy; besides, I need to apologize to Kiba and Akamaru," Myra turned to try and leave again. Naruto pulled her back towards him in a tight embrace.

"You can apologize to Kiba and the mutt later." Naruto growled playfully. Myra raised an eyebrow.

"And WHO are YOU to tell ME what I CAN and CAN NOT do?" She scolded, trying to push out of his grasp. He glared at her with his big blue eyes. It was a good question, he had to admit. They had confessed their love for each other, but was there anything else? Naruto knew what he wanted to say. The Fox was grumbling advice about what Naruto SHOULD say. Myra hadn't said anything about obeying him.

"I'm your boyfriend." He said in a very deep grumble.

Myra smirked. "I'll accept that answer this time. But next time, I may not give in so easily."

Naruto nuzzled her neck. "Good, I like a challenge." He grinned, sweeping her into a bridal carry.

"Really?" Myra back flipped out of his arms and on to her feet in to a mocking pose. "First one back to the apartment makes breakfast?" Unless you think you can catch me first." She stuck out her tongue and sprinted for the edge of the cliff, disappearing beyond the edge of the monument.

Naruto stood there for a few seconds completely dumbfounded.

"_**She did not just tell you to chase her?!"**_ The Fox chuckled.

"_Yeah… She did…"_ Naruto continued to stare off the edge of the monument.

"_**Well… Don't just stand there like an idiot! AFTER HER BOY!"**_ The Fox roared. Naruto felt the serge of Chakra. Night became day again and her smell was even more intoxicating than it had ever been. He could smell her excitement and her arousal. His blood was on fire with the want and need of her. He didn't care at that moment if he caught her or got to the apartment first, as long as the outcome was the same, it didn't matter to him.

Naruto jumped off the monument. Myra smiled and waived at him as he passed her just over the edge of the cliff face. She had jumped to just below the ridge. Naruto flipped around and digging his claws into the side of the mountain. He stopped his decent and looked up at her with hunger in his eyes.

"Oh… Crap…" Myra raised an eyebrow. She couldn't see the slits of his eyes, his elongated claws, or how his hair had become a bit more spiked, but she could feel how much he wanted to catch her. _"Well now I know how to get him all fired up…"_ Myra looked around. There wasn't a good way down that didn't involve jumping to her certain doom. She had seen Naruto do it, so she knew it could be done. Naruto started to climb the wall back up to her.

Myra thought about it one more time before he was inches from her. She jumped off the face and started to free fall. She flipped over a few time and timed her hand signs just right. A huge gust of wind came from her hands and she slowed her free fall. Myra touched the ground effortlessly and alive.

Naruto watched half impressed and half annoyed. Myra looked up at him very pleased with herself. She couldn't believe it worked either.

"I want waffles." She called up to him and flickered out of sight.


	27. The Chase

Normal  
"Speech"  
_Thought  
**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language, adult situations, AND LEMONS!

Chapter 27: The Chase

"I want waffles!" She called up to him and flickered out of sight. _"Holy SHIT! That was scary… But it looked so freaking cool."_ Myra thought. She had to plan her next move.

"_**She's playing with you. Myra WANTS you to catch her. So quit horsing around!"**_ The Fox was coaching.

"_What do you think I'm doing."_ Naruto spat.

"_**I don't know, what ARE you doing."**_

"_Thinking of a way to get a head of her and catch her."_

"_**Here's the easy way out of this… Just head for home, sooner or later she will show up and you can ambush her there. Not as fun, but just as effective."**_ The Fox nodded.

"_You're enjoying this as much as I am."_ Naruto grimaced. There was silence for a few moments of thought.

"_**Yes, I am… But don't make a big deal out of it… I still hate you."**_ The Fox growled.

"_And Myra?"_ Naruto smiled thinking he may get an answer this time.

"_**Catch her and I'll stay out of your head for the next few days."**_ The Fox grinned. That offer was more tempting than getting an answer from the Fox. Only seconds of thought had passed since he saw the girl flicker out of sight. Naruto let go of the wall and leaped down to the base of the cliff side. His new found tacking abilities made it too easy to find her scent as he entered the forest. However, he didn't exactly have the Fox's instincts when it came to the use of scent to track someone.

The scent trail led him further into the forest. Naruto was speeding towards a grove of trees, when she dropped out of the tree above him and pounced him to the ground. Naruto had been so absorbed in her smell he had forgotten he had other senses to rely on.

He was flat on his face in the dirt of the forest floor with her standing over him. Myra was giggling like a like a school girl.

"You are supposed to catch me. I am not supposed to catch you lying down on the job." She crouched over him and threw a small twig at his head. He looked up at her. She didn't flinch at the sight of his eyes. "So… IT came out to play, how interesting…" She smirked

"That could have hurt, ya know. That was what? Twenty, thirty meter drop?" He started to get up. Myra stood up looking very confident.

"It was only 23 meters. And you're so hyped up on chakra right now, I doubt you felt anything." She smiled. It was more than chakra that was driving him at this point.

"You're right. But it still stung like hell." He grabbed for her. But she was beyond his reach in a spilt second.

"I'm glad you're ok, really I am." She said sarcastically. "But I wanted to add strawberries and whipped cream to my list for breakfast." She flickered to right in front of him. Kissed him on his nose and flickered out of sight again.

"Does it matter that I don't know how to make waffles?" Naruto yelled after her. Myra appeared on a tree limb looking down on him.

"I have a waffle iron and mix." Sarcasm was dripping out of her voice. Naruto jumped for her. Myra had anticipated his movements and was already moving by the time he thought about jumping. The tree limb exploded to splinters. She was on the ground laughing at him. "My, aren't you exuberant."

"You could just stand still and let me catch you." Naruto was getting a little annoyed. Not angry annoyed, but a different kind of annoyed he had never been before. She giggled, "And what would be the fun in that?"

"I have three words for you…" The blonde had an idea.

She crossed her arms and cocked out a hip. "Oh? I'll stand still while you count." She said with a raised eyebrow.

"Multi Shadow Clone!" The white smoke cleared and she was amazed. She wasn't going to try and count them. _"Well that was unexpected."_ She nodded to herself, but she kept calm. The Mass of Narutos all smirked at once. She looked around to find she was completely surrounded. Myra decided to play trapped rabbit for a moment.

She raised a melodramatic back of her wrist to her forehead. "Oh woe is me…" She clasped both hands to her chest. "For I am surrounded…" Deep Sigh. "There are, but so MANY of you… And only ONE of me…" she fluttered her eyelashes. Myra smirked, looking at all the Naruto's before her, and chewed the tip of her index finger. "I wonder which ONE of you will be strong enough to claim the ONE of me in the end?" Her voice was seductive and yet deceptively inquisitive.

The plethora of Narutos started to glare at each other. In a matter of seconds it became a mass of brawling Narutos. The clones had completely forgotten about her. Myra backed away slowly, laughing manically as she slipped passed the brawlers. The real Naruto had moved to the far back of the pack, hoping she would be forced in his direction. He watched in horror as the clones started to attack each other. He slapped himself on the forehead. "I am such an idiot!"

He had lost sight of her, and lost her scent. Then in an instant he felt her arms slide around his shoulders, wrapping around his neck, her face was next to his cheek, her breasts were pressed up against his back and her legs were wrapped around his waist.

"I wouldn't say you're an idiot…" Her breath was hot on his cheek. She was almost weightless on his back. The clones had stopped attacking and were starting at them.

Naruto growled. "How'd you?" She reached her hand into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out the small feather she had put there days earlier.

"I had to be sure I could pick you out of a crowd." Myra grinned as she lied to him. The remaining clones dissipated in a cloud of white smoke. She had put the feather in his jacket as a thank you. Myra hadn't thought she was going to use it as an advantage. Naruto stood there for a moment, not sure of his next move.

She attempted to move from his back. Naruto reacted by grabbing her legs, she felt the growl of triumph in his chest. Myra could feel the heat of Naruto's frustration flowing around him. She chewed her bottom lip and contemplated frustrating him even more.

"You haven't caught me yet…" she whispered softly into his ear. Shivers ran the length of Naruto's spine. She had succeeded in frustrating him more.

"And how do you plan on getting away from me this time, Rabbit?" He growled over his shoulder and tightening his grip on her legs. _"No one has called me Rabbit since..."_ There was something that clicked in her head. Memories of a child hood game that she and her brother used to play flooded her thoughts.

"Rabbit, huh?" She grinned. Myra set the memories of her brother aside for now. She leaned down slightly, putting her lips extremely close to his ear.

"Do you know what rabbits are famous for?" The hair on the back of his neck prickled. "One word: multiplying." She licked his ear and made his whole body go ridged. His grip loosened on her legs and she was free to move.

Myra dropped off his back and stepped a few feet away. Naruto turned around to look at her. Everything was in slow motion. He watched her chest heave in and out with each labored breath. He could hear her heart trying to pound its way out of her chest. "_God does she look good like that."_ Myra had a smirk on her face, he could see the tensing of her muscles before she was about to flicker.

With speed that amazed her, Myra was pinned to a near by tree. Naruto pressed his unmistakably male body against her. Myra shivered in a good way and let out a soft grunt. She could feel the heat pouring off of him. Her breathing was still very heavy, and her heart still pounded with the combination of fear, excitement, and anticipation. Naruto captured her lips in a bruising kiss. He ran his tongue along her lips in the attempt to gain entry. Myra obliged happily, softly mewling into him. She wrapped her arms under his pulling him closer to her. The need for air pulled them apart again.

"Now that you've caught me." She kissed him on the nose. "What'ya gonna do with me?" Her voice was mischievously seductive. Naruto's rational brain may have been fuzzy, but he knew EXACTLY what he was going to do with her. He nuzzled her neck and jaw line, nipping and kissing. One of his hands searched for a way to get that pesky one piece body suit off her, the other pulling her knee up over his hip. Her eyes went wide when she was stabbed in the thigh by his rock solid manhood. He wasn't going to wait much longer.

Myra's balance faltered when Naruto moved her leg to his hip. She was now supporting most of her weight precariously her other leg. She didn't dare move. Naruto found the zipper at her throat, just under her chin. He looked up at her. Her bottom lip was between her teeth, a wide smirk across her face. Naruto started to pull the little black tab. He pulled it past the valley between her breasts, down her tight abs, and it stopped just below her naval.

Naruto slipped his hand past the stretchy fabric of the body suit. Another soft moan escaped her lips when he found the wet heat of her womanhood. He captured her lips in other deep wet kiss and teased wet folds of her flesh. She wasn't going to wait much longer either. The sound of ripping fabric was unavoidable as Naruto tore through the rest of pesky body suit.

Naruto had a firm grip on her leg over his hip. His now free hand removed the constricting fabric of his pants and boxers. Myra's other leg was beginning to go numb from the added weight. She grabbed kunai from her holster, forced a bit of chakra through it and sunk to the hilt just above her right shoulder. She did the same with another kunai above her right.

Naruto tried to hang on to her possessively when she tried to move. She grabbed the kunai, pulled her self up and wrapped both her legs around his waist. Naruto smirked and with one swift, solid thrust he was inside. He groaned, shivering pleasurably. He thrust again, hard and deep. A deep moan rumbled in his chest.

She squeaked, then bit into her lip. He slowly and teasingly slid out, then just as slowly slipped back in, holding his thrust for a bit. Myra arched her back tossing her hips into his thrust making it that much deeper. His low moan got notably louder. He nuzzled and nibbled soft curvature that was right at face level. A soft suckle slipped in amid the nibbling. Naruto built a steady pace of solid, deep thrusting

Her breathing started to get heavier with each thrust. He pressed as deeply as he could into her, a slight rotation to his hip motions. A hint of a growl had crept into his moans and groans. She twisted slightly in the opposite direction in order it for his thrusts to be deeper and closer in. She wasn't biting her lip any more she was moaning along with him. She felt him starting to heat up more, getting harder. His thrusting started getting faster and rougher. Her breathing got a little faster and it became difficult for her to keep the grip on the kunai.

He paused briefly on a deep thrust, gathering a bit of control, then going right back into his rhythm. As his thrusts become quickened and harder, she started to drift into the euphoria of the endorphins. Her eyes glaze over and she becomes trapped by the passion.

He held a grip tightly on her behind with one arm, his other hand sliding between them, finding the sensitive nub and teasing it. Her back arched again. The sensation of everything, the way she felt, she was engulfed by it all. She couldn't contain it anymore. She screamed his name. He felt her juices gush and felt her pulsate with pleasure.

He growl-moaned loudly, letting go himself, throbbing and pulsing as he released with a roar. Her breathing was still rhythmic and heavy, but focus was coming back to her head. She was speechless. It was an experience she would not soon forget and neither would he.

Naruto blinked up at her, his eyes returning to their normal crystal blue. He backed away slowly letting her down gently. They were both panting with the expenditure of the energy. Myra released her death grip of the kunai and wobbled with the weight on her legs. Naruto was right there to steady her.

"DANM." Was all she could manage to say. Naruto didn't know what to say. The cobwebs started to clear, the deep evil chuckle of the Fox echoed in his head. _**"That was entertaining Brat. I look forward to doing it again. But a deal's a deal, I'll stay out of your head… For now."**_ The doors slammed shut in his head. Myra shivered in his arms.

"You gonna be ok?" Naruto sounded concerned. Myra kissed him sweetly.

"I'll be ok Love… Just have to let the feeling come back to my legs, and I am a little cold all of a sudden." There was laughter in Myra voice. Naruto took off his jacket and wrapped it around her.

"I think we better get home." He was acting strangely, almost distant. Myra could feel there was something bothering him. She tried to keep her tone light. "Yeah, I think we should." She smiled at him. Naruto scooped her up and bounded home.


	28. What dreams may come

Normal  
"Speech"  
_Thought  
**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 28: What dreams may come.

Mrya held tight to Naruto as they bounded home. She was still shivering with the thoughts of recent activities. She was concerned about Naruto. He hadn't said a word to her the whole way back to the apartment. They touched down on her balcony. Naruto set her down gently and waited until she found her balance.

Myra took a few tentative steps and smiled at him. Naruto was forcing the smile. "See I told you I just had to get the blood circulating in my legs and I would be fine." She opened the balcony doors and they went inside. Myra handed him back his jacket and went to change. His was still standing in the kitchen when she came back wearing her bathrobe. She could tell there was something wrong. Her expression changed to show it.

"What is wrong with you?" She put her hand on his check. He raised his hand to touch hers and put his head on her forehead.

"It could… He…I could have really hurt you." He stammered, worry laced in his voice. Myra chuckled at him lovingly.

"Is THAT what this is about? I would hope you think I'm made of sterner stuff. I ASKED for it… My GODS LOVE…" She looked at him confused. Naruto moved her hand from his cheek. The warmth of her hand was making it difficult for him to tell her.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of." He kept his head down.

"Ok… That came out of no where and I am even more confused. You are going to have to be a little less vague." She raised an eyebrow. Naruto was tearing himself up. She hadn't rejected him when she saw him change. The irony of calling her a rabbit, no IT called her Rabbit. Myra could sense the turmoil. She put his hand to her cheek.

"Please tell me what's wrong. I can't answer a question if you don't ask it." She looked up at him. Crystal blue swam in the grip of chocolate brown, and he blinked.

"The monster nearly took over. He could have killed you and enjoyed ripping you apart." Naruto whispered very softly. Myra wasn't horror struck like he had been expecting her to be. She wasn't even shocked. She just smiled at him. "Oh… You're worried about the demon?" She said very flatly blinking at him.

"You knew?" Naruto was a little shocked that she already knew.

"Yes. Is that a big deal?" She was confused again. "I can pretend I don't know if it will make you feel better." Naruto laughed and relaxed a bit. He was still very upset about what happened earlier, but he would take that up with the Fox later.

"How long have you known?" He asked her.

"I have two spirit birds that know EVERYTHING, and you're asking me how long I've known." Myra was being sarcastic again. They both laughed. She started to take her hair out of the tight braid.

"Speaking of the feather brains, where are they?" Naruto looked at the empty perches.

"Probably put hunting or making a mess of the Hokage's office."

"I bet Granny Tsunade will be happy about that." They both laughed. Myra's laugh turned into a yawn. Naruto swept her off her feet again.

"I think its time to put you to bed." He eyed her.

"But I'm..." YAWN. "… not tired." Myra protested. He walked her into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. She grabbed at his shirt before he could move away. "Don't go. Stay. Please?" She looked up at him. "I'll make waffles." She pouted. He shook his head; then kissed her softly.

"Speaking of the birds, what would the big bird say when he finds me here?" Naruto didn't like the male. The female bird seemed to like him. He striped to his boxers.

"There isn't much they can say." Myra pushed her self up, took off the bathrobe and dropped on the floor. She was naked and it caused Naruto to jump slightly when he turned around. She was stretching and yawing.

"What?" She pulled the covers up to her chest.

"Um… You're not going to put something on?" He blushed to his toes and seemed very embarrassed all of a sudden.

"It didn't seem to bother you this afternoon." Myra smirked.

"I thought you were tired." Naruto eyed her suspiciously.

"I am." She crossed her arms in front of her and closed her eyes. "But if you don't like the feel of my skin," She opened one playful eye to look at him, "I am sure I can find something to put on." A smile danced on her lips. Naruto shook his head and slipped off his boxers.

Myra scooted back to give him room to get in. He kissed her again as he got into bed. She let him get comfortable. Then with out hesitating, she curled up next to him, putting her head on his chest. She felt so fragile next to him. Naruto stroked her hair and felt her breath even out on his chest.

"I love you." She whispered. He felt her start to radiate that energy that was so addictive. Something he never wanted to give up. He pulled her closer to him. "My Rabbit." He growled possessively. The Fox may have named her, but it kind of fit. Naruto started the think the last few days. It was all a blur really. He had never been happier. Naruto was going to treasure this moment as long as he could, because it usually meant something bad was just around the corner. It was only a few more minutes before Naruto was asleep with his love in his arms.

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Myra stood watching a young blonde boy and his friends playing. They seemed happy playing on the swings and the slide. They played until the sun started to dip farther below the horizon. Parents arrived to retrieve most of the children. The blonde boy stood and watched his friends leave with their parents. There was a sad look on his face and Myra felt his sadness and pain.

There were many more of the same and she watched them all. She heard the people whisper about the demon child and the names he was called by the other children. She felt his loneliness and anger. Tears started to stream down her cheeks.

"Did you do this to him?" She questioned.

"_**I am partially to blame… Yes. The rest you can blame on the people of the village and their fear of me."**_ The Fox chuckled. Myra was standing next to a tall man with red hair that looked a lot like Naruto, but his features were more fox like. His eyes were red slits. He had pointed ears and nine tails of fire behind him. On his wrists and around his ankles were heavy chains. There was a pad lock with a seal over the key hole.

"Why? Why would they do this to a person?" Myra was still crying as they continued to watch Naruto's more important memories flash before them.

"_**To be feared and hated is the life of a Jinchuriki. It isn't a pleasant thing to be chosen, and most of the time, the host doesn't have a choice. The Brat was chosen by fate to be the vessel of a demon. I attacked the village 17 years ago and to protect the village the Yondiame sacrificed himself to seal me inside a newly born child. I've been here ever since."**_ The Fox didn't seem to care. More memories flashed. Myra watched the older Naruto become a Genin and felt his joy of being accepted by someone. Then she watched in horror as Sasuke and Naruto fought at the Valley of the end. She felt Naruto's pain and understood now more than ever why Sasuke was important to her love. She started to look away as the scene changed again.

"_**Don't turn away now Rabbit. You wanted to know and understand him. This is who he is."**_ The Fox wasn't taking pleasure in what Myra was doing. She watched him change to the four tailed fox. She felt the pain that racked his body and the rage that drove him to destroy everything in his path, but it wasn't his rage. Myra turned to look at the Fox.

There was no emotion on the Fox's face, but Myra could feel the sorrow and regret of having that much rage flowing through him. She felt pity for the Fox. The Fox noticed that she was staring at him and not the memories flashing before her.

"_**You are the one making him relive these nightmares and if you aren't going to watch them, I won't take the blame for it."**_ The Fox crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"Why? Why would you take the blame for this?" She was shocked. The Fox didn't look at her.

"_**Don't ask stupid questions Rabbit. I don't like answering them. If you don't want me to help you out, I won't."**_ The Fox started to walk away.

"Why did you pick the name Rabbit for me?" Myra had to ask.

"_**Because foxes like to chase rabbits."**_ And with that the Fox disappeared.

"Funny, that's what my brother told me once." Myra had seen enough to learn what she needed. She took a deep breath and the scene changed yet again. It was the street where she had met Naruto for the first time. She watched him whistle down the street with out a care in the world. All was happy in his dreams. Myra thought it best if she left him alone now. She took a deep breath and made a few hand signs.

Seconds later she woke up next to the still sleeping Naruto. He was smiling in his sleep and all was right with the world. She tried to move, but his arms reacted to her movement by holding on to her. Myra smiled and kissed him on the chest. Naruto relaxed his hold on her. Myra just smiled, laid her head back on his chest and drifted back to her own dream filled slumber.

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A/N: Wow... Two chapters in one night/day. I must be on a roll. I am sure there are some burning questions. Here is my answer to all of them. Say tuned, keep reading, and be kind and review. Or don't be kind and review anyway... 


	29. I know who you are

Normal  
"Speech"  
_Thought_  
Kyuubi

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 29: I know who you are now.

Sasuke didn't have the nightmare like he normally expected. This time Sasuke's dreams where of things that should have been and could have been. He was standing next to his father, looking out over the pound near the Uchiha compound. There were no words between them, just a mutual admiration for the calmness of the water. Then Sasuke was hugging his mother before running off to meet his friends.

Sakura and Naruto standing at the gates of the Uchiha compound waiting for him. Naruto had his normal foxy smug grin. Sakura had a smile on her face and his name on her lips. "Sasuke-kun! Hurry up or we'll be late!" The bright cheerful voice would melt even his cold heart every time she said his name. Sasuke allowed himself these moments in his dreams, because they were just dreams.

He ran towards the pink haired girl wanting to grab on to her and not let go. Sasuke wanted to tell her how much he truly cared about her, and that damn idiot Naruto. He wanted to explain why he had left her. Sasuke got close to her figure and it faded. He stood alone on the street near his old home. Then he heard laughter in the distance.

Sasuke followed the sounds of laughter and children playing. He stepped on to a great field of golden grass. Large mountains surrounded him and tall trees lined the meadow. The bright yellow sun was high in the crystal blue sky. The warmth beat down on him and it felt so good.

This wasn't his dream. Sasuke had been all over the country, and this was no place he had ever seen. Sasuke saw the small girl and boy running through the meadow and over the hills in the distance. The girl was obviously faster. 

The laughter was assaulting his ears. Sasuke felt himself being drawn into the childish game of theirs. He walked closer, curious as to where they were going. The girl had long black hair and wore a yellow dress. The boy had short spiky black hair and was wearing a green t-shirt and black shorts. The girl stopped at the top of hill a good distance from the boy and waited.

"Myra! Not so fast Rabbit! I can't catch you if you run that fast!" The boy yelled.

The little girl laughed at the boy. "That's the point Brother Fox!" The girl skipped over the crest of the hill. The boy continued to chase her. Sasuke started to run after them. He crested the hill and watched as the boy tackled the little girl. The children tumbled in a heap at the base of the hill. The little girl started to giggle hysterically.

"Stop it! I can't breath!" The little girl gasped for air between fits of laughter.

"Not until you say UNCLE!" The boy resumed his tickling assault on the girl.

"STOP!" The girl cried and gasped even more. Sasuke couldn't stand there and do nothing anymore. He ran up to the boy and yanked him off of the girl.

"Hey! Let me go… I wasn't hurting her, honest… Tell him Myra!" The boy kicked and flailed at Sasuke. The little Myra girl looked up at Sasuke and glared. Even tear stained and as young as she was, her glare could stop a charging rhino. Sasuke couldn't help the amused curl on his lip.

"Put him down Sasuke." The voice echoed from no where and everywhere all at once. Sasuke looked around to find the source of the voice. When he looked back at the little girl, the older Myra had appeared and was helping her younger self to her feet. The older Myra wasn't much different from the Myra he had seen in his dream from before.

Her hair was in a tight braid down her back and she wore a simple pair of jeans and a purple t-shirt. Sasuke dropped the boy on his butt. The boy got up and ran behind Myra, but stood protectively between the little girl and Sasuke.

The boy tugged on the older Myra's shirt. "Sister, who is he?"

Myra turned her back on Sasuke and harrumphed. She knelt down to be eye level with the boy. "His name is Sasuke and he's a big dorkfish." Sasuke grunted in disapproval. Myra didn't pay any attention to him. "Now run along and play with Rabbit while I talk business with the Dorkfish. And don't tickle Rabbit so hard next time, ok Minato?" The little boy smiled a wide cheesy grin.

"Come on Myra, let's go play." Minato grabbed his little sister's hand. The little girl was still glaring at Sasuke. The older Myra nodded at the little girl letting her know it was ok. The two children ran off towards the distance and disappeared out of sight.

Myra watched the two children go before she rounded on Sasuke. She managed a glare at him, but didn't say anything to him for a few moments.

"This time I get to say it. YOU shouldn't be here." Myra crossed her arms in front of her.

"Where am I anyway?" Sasuke was confused.

"You're intruding on MY dreams this time." Myra kept staring.

"Why am I here?" Sasuke glared back. It was a perpetual glaring match.

Myra shrugged. "I haven't figured that out yet. I think it has to do with family ties, but I haven't had the time to do the research on that yet."

"Family ties? My family is dead." He spat at her. Myra rolled her eyes at him. She was still angry about Sasuke causing the fight between her and Naruto, even if he hadn't physically caused the fight, but now was the perfect opportunity to take it out on him.

"Oh yes, how could I forget? Poor Sasuke Uchiha… Family massacred by Itachi Uchiha. What a tragedy? Blah Blah Blah" She was being melodramatic. "You aren't the only person in this world that lost family that night. I know the story. EVERYONE knows the story. Get over yourself you ego Centric FUCKTARD!" She took a deep breath and calmed for a moment. "I wasn't talking about YOUR family, dumbass. I was talking about MY family. And YOU, oh mighty Sasuke, happen to be a part of MY family, whether you choose to accept it or not. And whether I like it or not." She was clenching her fists in anger.

Sasuke stood there with and indifferent look on his face. But Myra could tell she had touched a nerve. No one in their right mind, except Naruto, had EVER talked to him that way. Sasuke accepted it from Naruto, but he wasn't going to take it from this upstart BITCH. What did she know about him anyway?

Sasuke really turned up the juice on his "I hate you" death glare. Myra did the only thing she could think of to combat such a stare. She laughed at him. Myra succeeded in pissing Sasuke off even more.

"What the hell do you know about anything BITCH?" He growled at her dangerously. Myra continued to laugh at him. He grabbed her by the collar. Myra stopped laughing.

"You have no sense of humor do you?" Myra wriggled out of his grasp and adjusted her shirt.

"I don't have time to fuck around. Why did you bring me here?" Sasuke barked.

"Cool your jets there, Sasuke. I didn't pull you into my dream. TRUST ME, you are the LAST person I wanted to dream about." The laughter from the playing children echoed. Myra turned her back on him and walked to the top of another hill. Sasuke followed, partially because he wanted out of the mad house, but the rest was curiosity.

"I came here to watch them play." She pointed to the dream figures of herself and her brother playing chase in the meadow. "I was feeling a bit nostalgic. Dreams are a way to keep the ones you've lost close to you. My father told me that when he was teaching me how to Dream Walk. I lost my brother the same night you lost you're whole family. I know that lost isn't as much as a whole family, but it hurts just the same." Myra whipped a single tear from her cheek. Sasuke turned to watch the children play. He heard that addicting childlike laughter. Sasuke picked up on her sadness. He wanted to reach out and tell her everything was all right and he was going to make it right again. He didn't understand why he could pick up on her sadness and most upsetting was the fact that it affected him. He shook off the foreign emotions.

"That doesn't explain why I'm here." His patience was beginning to wear thin.

"I haven't figured it out yet. Like I said, I've got an idea why we are dream sharing, but I haven't had time to do the research." Myra started to chew on her bottom lip in contemplation.

"You said it had to do with family. How is that possible? I am the last of the Uchiha." He was being ego centric again. Myra closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes she looked directly at Sasuke, red sharingan activated in her eyes. Sasuke gawked at her with an open mouth in disbelief.

"You aren't the last anymore." Myra shut her eyes and released the sharingan.

"But how?" Sasuke was still shocked and it showed.

"For crying out loud! Are all geniuses as STUPID as you are?" Myra rolled her eyes. Sasuke glared at her… Again… Myra laughed at him… Again.

"Stop with the glaring already. I get the point. You have no sense of humor." She laughed more. Sasuke was royally pissed off by her mocking at his expense. Myra knew it, and didn't care.

Suddenly there was a tremor that rocked the landscape. Myra looked skyward as the sun became darker.

"What was that?" Sasuke was looking around for the source.

"That means I don't have time for a family history lesson." Myra looked worried. "If I hit you, it will wake both of us up." Myra looked back at him.

"Why would I LET you hit me?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Because, you fucktard, it's how you woke ME up, or don't' you remember?" She looked back at the sky that was getting increasingly darker.

"You are one crazy Bitch if you think I'm going to LET you hit me." He shook his head. She looked back at Sasuke and smiled.

"Wow… You noticed… Thanks. Look, compliments aside… I have no idea how much of your chakra presence will translate through the Etherial. I happen to be sleeping in VERY close proximity to Naruto." She looked worried again.

"WHAT!" Sasuke was horrified. Myra smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sleeping with your best friend." She nodded. Sasuke was dumb struck with what he felt at the moment she told him that she was sleeping with Naruto. Myra couldn't help the smirk that crossed her expression. Sasuke was jealous that Naruto had a love life, but then there was the overwhelming urge to beat the shit out of him for touching her. There was another tremor that snapped Sasuke out of his daze.

"I can explain, but not now. Naruto is starting to wake up. HE may not be able to sense your chakra, but I'm pretty sure the Fox can." Myra looked almost desperate. Sasuke looked at her wide eyed again. She knew about the Kyuubi, and now he had to know exactly how much more she knew about the Uchiha family. The golden field started to fade.

"How can I trust you?" Sasuke was skeptical.

"I'm family?" She smiled at him.

"That doesn't help." He growled and nearly lost his balance with the next violent earthquake.

"I haven't told anyone that I've talked to you." Myra looked serious. "And I promise that I won't tell Naruto that I can find you." Sasuke went pale. She touched his hand. He knew instantly she was being sincere. Sasuke had family that wasn't trying to kill him and wouldn't betray him. She had found another piece to the family puzzle. She could feel how he was suffering from the last few years of self inflicted loneliness. Sasuke was still a little confused by all this emotion. He would figure it out later, there wasn't time for it now. Sasuke wasn't alone anymore and it comforted him.

Myra let go of his hand. "NOW GO!" She reached back with her right fist and punched him. Sasuke woke up milliseconds before he hit the ground. Like a cat, he turned himself to land on his feet. He grumbled under his breath about Myra punching him. "Crazy bitch..." Sasuke rubbed his jaw. He had to admit, Myra had a nasty right cross.


	30. Repercussions

Normal  
"Speech"  
_Thought_  
Kyuubi

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 30: Repercussions

Naruto danced on the edge of consciousness. He had an interesting night of odd dreams. It was like his life was flashing before him. Every memory that was important to Naruto and who defined him as a person had been laid out for him to watch and live through in perfect clarity. Some of the more intense memories were tough to go through again. The fights with Sasuke, any time he took on the mantle of the Fox, the day Tsunade told him that Jiraiya was gone, but they all led him to one place. That morning he bumped into the girl he was holding right now.

Naruto reactively pulled her closer to him. She was still lying at his side, with her head on his chest. Consciousness came closer to the blonde. Naruto stroked her hair as if it was the most natural thing to do. He felt Myra's body tense and she let out a soft sleepy grunt. Naruto figured she didn't want to move anymore than he did.

His breathing was beginning to become less shallow and more frequent, but Naruto wasn't quite awake yet. He moved and Myra tensed against him, but this time he could sense something was different about her. She was still soft and warm, but there was a change in the energy she radiated. Naruto pulled her closer almost instinctively. His eyes finally opened hazily.

Myra tensed again letting out another almost sad growl. Naruto tried to sit up and couldn't with out really moving her. He nudged her gently. She grunted softly. He nudged her again, "Wake up Rabbit."

With a deep inhale of breath and a yawn Myra opened her eyes. She stretched from her toes to her nose and curled right back where she started. Naruto felt her smile on his chest. "Morning Love." She said sleepily. She moved so she was facing him. "What time is it?" She rubbed her eyes.

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know, late I think. Where's the clock?"

Myra yawned again. "Bedside table, next to the picture." She said absent mindedly. Then her heart skipped a beat when she remembered Tsunade's request. _"Oh crap… The picture!"_ Naruto had already reached the clock by the time she could stop him.

"It's almost 10." He put the clock back. Myra let out a sigh.

"Hey! Ero-Sennin!" He grabbed the picture. Myra hung her head, _"DANM."_ Naruto sat up. Myra looked at him with a sideways smirk. She was trying to make it seem like nothing special.

"Hey I was comfy…" She whined and pouted. Naruto was busy looking at the photo to notice her pout. He was doing it on purpose. She had to think fast. The fact that her cell phone rang made things easy for her. The melody was a simple tune of urgency, but it was unmistakably her father's ring tone.

"Oh snap…" She flopped on his chest. Naruto let out a playful grunt. The ringing stopped; then started a few seconds later. Myra got out of bed and picked up her bathrobe slipping it on.

"Why don't you jump in the shower? This may take a few minutes." She leaned over and kissed him. Naruto pulled her on top of him.

"But if I take a shower now, there won't be any hot water for you." He smiled. Even through the covers and her bathrobe, she knew he wasn't worried about conserving the hot water. The phone rang again.

"I don't think I can tell my father I didn't answer the phone because I was in the shower with my boyfriend. He's called 3 times in less than 5 minutes. I don't think he's calling me to find out if I got here safely. I'm in deep shit about something. " She smiled. He reached up and kissed her. The phone continued to ring. They both glared towards the sound of the phone.

"I need to answer that before he gets on a plane." She got up and headed for the living room. She picked up the small blue cell phone and looked at the screen. "You have 25 missed calls, 4 new voice mail, and 38 text messages." The phone rang and she answered.

"Hi Dad." She said cheerfully.

The older Ravenheart did not sound amused. "Explain to me how you managed to piss off the head of a major house in less than a week?"

"I'm great Dad. I got here safe. Thanks for asking. How has your day been so far?" There was silence on the other end. Myra sighed heavily. "It wasn't as easy as you seem to think."

"What am I going to do with you?" Her Father was still upset.

"Send me 3000 miles away from my home, friends and family to hopefully teach me discipline, control, and respect? Oh wait? You already did that." Myra winced when he screeched at her.

"This is no laughing matter young lady! You've been accused of behavior unbecoming a Lady of the house Ravenheart. Apparently, your behavior last night at the reception was deplorable." She was holding the phone slightly away from her ear. Naruto had put on his boxers and plain white t-shirt. He had walked into the living room. Myra was talking to her dad in English, so he couldn't really understand what was going on.

"My behavior? I was polite, I ate the food, and when I wanted to leave, I asked to be excused. I was the model of polite society. Hiashi Hyuuga insulted me and my escort and I'm the one getting yelled at? That isn't fair Dad." Myra sat on the coffee table. Naruto could understand one or two words here and there, but it was her expression, tone of voice, and the mention of that Hyuuga bastard that concerned him. He sat in chair next to the table and put his hand on her knee. She smiled at him and gently hushed him with one finger.

"You didn't get the phone call at the crack ass of dawn." Her father was still pissed off.

"He asked if I would stay at the Hyuuga estate. You and I discussed this and we agreed that it wasn't such a good idea to stay in any one house hold, so I declined again." She thought about it for a second; then closed her eyes and cursed. "I might have been a little bit sharp with him when I declined the invitation."

She could hear her father's silent nodding. "Were you rude about it?"

"Did I tell him to Fuck Off? Not in those exact words, but that is basically what I said. I thought I was being polite about it." She was biting her bottom lip nervously.

"The thing is Sweetheart, you could have kissed the man's feet and he still would have felt slighted because you declined his offer of hospitality. I will admit that I never liked the man, but I can't ignore his complaint." He let out a sigh.

"Ok, so that means what?" Myra raised an eyebrow. That Hyuuga bastard was up to something and now he had leverage to get his foot in the door.

"You are going to have to spend two weeks at the Hyuuga complex as a guest." His words were met with silence. Myra paled. It was the first time Naruto had ever seen her look scared.

"What?" Myra recovered.

"The arrangement that was negotiated is that you spend two weeks at the Hyuuga complex as a guest of the Family. You will have to bite your tongue and dull your wit and do as you are told for two weeks." There was sad tone in his voice. Myra took another deep breath and color started to come back to her.

"So Lord Hyuuga will get to reign over my life for two weeks?" Her voice sounded dangerous.

"While you are with in the walls of the compound, you are at his mercy. The second that you step toe out of the complex you are allowed to do as you please, as long as you do not go against any of his rules for those two weeks." Myra started to tear with her father's explanation.

"When do I have to report to Lord Hyuuga?" Her tears started to fall. Naruto moved to kneeling in front of her. He was going to say something, but she put her hand on his chest. 

"You must report to the Hyuuga compound by midnight tonight." Her Father didn't like the idea anymore than his daughter.

"And I can't refuse can I?" She took a deep breath.

"No, you can't." Her father's voice was low and sad. Myra closed her eyes and more tears fell. Naruto was having a very hard time watching her cry. She was obviously upset about something. He wanted to scream and yell at her father, but just in case he was the cause of her father's anger, he didn't want her to be in any more trouble that she was already in.

"I don't like the idea anymore than you do, but it is something that will satisfy all the parties concerned. Myra, sweetheart, don't do anything impulsive or stupid. Think before you do what ever it is you are planning to do. I know you aren't going to roll over and take two weeks of subjugation. At least call me and let me know what you're going to do so I can be prepared to leave if I have too." Her father sounded worried. Myra's anger was mixed with her tears.

"I would keep a bag packed, just in case." Myra forced a chuckle.

"You be careful… And one last thing…" She heard her father's smirk, but then he took a breath like he was going to say something and then didn't. "Never mind, it's not important right now." He sighed. "Tell the boy he has nothing to fear from me… Unless he hurts you, then I will hunt him down and kill him." There was click and Myra smiled at the concerned looking Naruto.

She had 13 hours to come up with a plan to get out of two weeks of hell. Myra put down the phone and looked over at Naruto. His blue eyes stared into her. She could sense his concern and his desire to make it all better. Myra honestly didn't know how she was going to get herself out of this mess, worse she didn't know how Naruto was going to take it.


	31. 13th Hour Part 1

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

Kyuubi

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 31: 13th hour Part 1.

Naruto stared at her trying to process what she had just told him. Myra was standing by the window staring out at the village. She was trying not to break down into tears. Crying wasn't going to solve anything. Naruto came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She could feel the anger welling inside of him. His skin became hot to the touch. She turned around and stared directly into his eyes.

"There isn't anything that you can do about it right now." She put her head on his chest and tried to calm his anger she knew was growing.

"I could go over there and beat the fuck out of him." Naruto growled. She had to fight back the urge to laugh. It was a noble gesture, but it would only make things worse. She put her hand in the middle of his chest. He felt her lips curl into a smirk. "I don't think you would look so intimidating in your boxers."

"Your ability to joke at a time like this amazes me." He shook his head. She let out a half a laugh/sob.

"Look who's talking?" She chuckled, letting go of him and heading for the bedroom.

"I was being serious." Naruto wasn't laughing. He stood in the living room for a moment trying to figure her out.

"Violence doesn't solve every problem. I would love beat him to a bloody pulp, but that wouldn't do anything but make me feel better. This situation has to be handled diplomatically." She disappeared into the bedroom, Naruto was seconds behind her.

"Politics and diplomacy, heh, I don't understand any of it. Why don't people say what they mean and do what they say they are going to do." He sat on the bed and watched her going through her clothes. She held up a pair of black jeans and smiled.

"Because that would be easy and we all know that life can't be easy." She pulled out a purple halter top. She put the jeans and the halter on the bed next to Naruto. "Lord Hyuuga is up to something, I just don't know what." There was a knock at the door. Myra closed her eyes and took a deep breath, extending her senses. Gaara was at the door.

"I will be there in a moment Gaara-sama." She yelled from the bedroom door. Naruto looked at her for a moment; then started to scramble for his clothes looking a little frantic in the process.

"How do you know it's him?" He looked curious.

Myra couldn't help the giggle. "I just do." She shed her bathrobe, pulled on her jeans and the halter before she went to answer the door. Naruto had to watch while she dressed. Although the situation was very tense, his mind still wondered to other things. Myra ignored him. She would fall back on those thoughts later in celebration, or in anticipation of 2 weeks without him.

Myra went to answer the door with wide smirk across her face. She could sense Gaara was a little nervous about disturbing her, but there was an urgency in his mood. She opened the door. "Good Morning Lord Kazekage, please do come in and excuse the mess, I haven't had time to clean properly." She gestured for Gaara to step inside.

The Kazakage raised an eyebrow and stepped inside. "Have spoken with…" There was a loud crash in the bedroom. Gaara looked in the direction of the bedroom. Myra could feel Gaara's relief. She looked at Gaara with a wide toothy grin.

"You asked me a question last night." Gaara raised an eyebrow. "The answer is yes, I do, and I made sure he knew it." Gaara smirked at her words.

"I am very happy for you both." Gaara's smirk faded. "Unfortunately there is another matter that is of more importance."

"Ok… What do you have for me?" She shut the door behind Gaara. The Kazekage walked into the living room looking very stern.

"Have you thought about entering a formal protest with the council against Lord Hyuuga?" Gaara apparently had heard about Myra's two weeks of Hell. Naruto poked his head out of the bedroom. "Would that get her out of this mess?"

"The only thing that is going to get me out of two weeks of hell is a better offer than what is on the table now." Myra groused.

Naruto looked at Myra. "Better offer?"

"Lord Jackass wants something. I just don't know what he wants. If I can find out, I can make an offer that is more appealing." Myra started looking through an oddly marked box.

"What about what Gaara said… A complaint or what ever of your own?" Naruto questioned.

"I agree Myra-san. I would believe that the word of the Kazekage on your behalf would mean something to the Council." Gaara took a seat on the couch. Myra pulled a long purple coat out of the box she was searching through. She smiled with her achievement in finding the coat.

"Oh, it will count for something if Naruto lodges the complaint." She stood up, tossing the coat on the back of the couch; then headed for the kitchen. "Would you like some tea?" There was silence from the boys. Myra didn't realize they were confused.

"Naruto?" said Gaara at the exact same time Naruto said, "Me?"

Myra nodded, "Yes. Tea?"

"Yes please." Gaara looked confused. Myra disappeared into the kitchen. Naruto looked at Gaara and shrugged. Myra came back a few seconds later to see the boys exchanging confused looks. Myra smiled and shook her head.

"Hyuuga didn't insult me. He insulted Naruto. But the problem is, Lord Kazekage," she exaggerated the title, "you chastised him on the spot. I don't know how much a formal complaint is going to do. It may just look like a desperate attempt to stall… Which it would be… But we aren't going to say that out loud." She sat on the end of the couch next to Naruto. "I'm going to make some toast, would you like some?"

"I am sitting here tying myself up in knots and you're calm, joking around, and making toast? Why aren't you a nervous wreck?" Naruto looked at her. Myra just smiled and kissed him on the nose.

"Because it would be waist of valuable time and energy if I panicked. So I'm keeping calm. You're doing enough panicking for the both of us." She shrugged. "Why not divert that time and energy in to a cunning plot to take over the world?" She smiled happily. "Do you want toast or not?" She looked at him and blinked. Naruto raised a worried eyebrow. Gaara had to let out a chuckle.

"Um… Toast would be great." The blonde still looked worried.

"Would you like some Gaara-sama?" She tilted her head over to Gaara. He was still trying not to laugh. "Just tea would be excellent, Thank you." Myra bounded off into the Kitchen.

Naruto turned his worried look to his friend. "What did I get myself into?"

Gaara was trying to cover his laughter. "A world of trouble, my friend, and I will enjoy watching every moment of it." He finally recovered his composure. Naruto grumbled. It was an answer he would have expected from The Fox, but not Gaara. Myra walked out of the kitchen with a tray full of toast, a tea pot and three glasses. She set down the tray, served, and sat on the floor to eat.

"What is your first move, Myra-san?" Gaara sipped his tea. Myra gulped her tea.

"I am going to the Hyuuga complex and talk to the Bastard. Maybe I can get him to tell me what he really wants." She grabbed some menacing look boots from another box. "Then I can formulate a counter offer that will get me completely out of this mess or doom me for all eternity." Myra put on the spiked boots while munching on some toast.

"I'm going with you." Naruto growled between bites of his toast. Myra stood up. The boots added at least another 5 centimeters to her height.

"I have to see him alone." She started to search for her belt and kunai holster. Naruto glared at her. Myra could tell the blonde didn't like that idea one bit. Gaara didn't seem thrilled about it either, but he hid it a lot better than Naruto. Myra knelt in front of Naruto.

"Look Pretty Boy, I walk in there with you two standing behind me, and he will go on the defensive." She stood up and started to talk really fast. "I mean really…" She pointed to herself, "I put on my "I loath you" glare; then I stand at the gates of Hyuuga manor," She thumbed at Gaara, "with Sandy the recovering Homicidal Maniac and," She pointed at Naruto, "The Unpredictable Demon Fox Boy," she glanced at both of them, "both of whom have been known to go bonkers at the drop of a hat and cause massive amounts of damage I might add for dramatic effect," She took a breath. "And then you expect me to have a rational conversation with him." She shook her head. "Not going to happen. Do I want to look intimidating? Yes." She nodded up and down. "Do I want to scare the shit out of him? NOOO." She accentuated the word shaking her head side to side. "At least not yet." She kissed Naruto on the forehead; then started to put her belt on.

Gaara raised an eyebrow. "She has a point." Naruto squinted dangerously at Gaara, who ignored him. Myra had disappeared into the bathroom.

"I don't like it." Naruto pouted. Myra's voice came from the bathroom.

"I don't like that I have to go at all, but it's something I have to do. Don't worry, you will have your chance to look ominous and scare the shit out of him later if I have my way." There was the echo of her giggle. "Gaara, do you think you can keep Naruto busy for a few hours, while I go do this?"

"I am the Kazekage, not a babysitter." He was pouring himself some more tea.

"I am standing right here, and I don't need a babysitter." Naruto was still pouting. Myra walked out of the bathroom. Naruto's jaw hit the floor. There were two thoughts that ran through his mind at that moment. The first thought had to do with ripping her clothes off. The second thought was extremely possessive and it was the one he acted on.

"You are NOT going ANYWHERE like THAT." Naruto didn't understand the dark and broody look. It wasn't something he would normally go for. When he had met Myra, she didn't seem to be the type that could pull off dark and broody, he thought she was too cheerful. She stood in the door way of the bathroom wearing the tight black low rider jeans with her Konoha belt buckle, the dark purple leather halter top, the evil looking boots, dark make up, and hair braided in a thick plat. It must have been the Uchiha blood in her veins because she looked damn good and kind of scary.

Myra smiled at Naruto's reaction. "Yes I am." Naruto walked over to her wrapping his arms possessively around her.

"MY RABBIT." He softly growled in her ear. She twitched as a shiver ran the length of her spine. She didn't realize how much she was going to enjoy him calling her Rabbit.

"Yes, your Rabbit." She said with a smile. "And I have to go." She kissed him deeply.

Gaara turned around to look at all the commotion. He stared for a moment. Myra could feel Gaara's sadness envelope him farther, but he was happy for his friend. Gaara turned away from them and returned to sipping his tea with out comment. Myra thought she may have to do something Gaara's sadness, but that would have to wait.

The lovers separated for air. Myra hugged him very closely not wanting to let go. She had to push her own emotions aside and go to work. She had to find the birds and then head for enemy territory. "Wait for me?" She whispered to Naruto; then took steps towards the door.

He held on to her hand until the last moment, "Always." He said and let go of her. Myra wanted to burst into tears, but knew she couldn't. She simply smiled and grabbed the long purple coat. "Lock up before you leave." And she shut the door behind her.

Gaara almost couldn't contain the laughter anymore. "Pretty Boy?" The Kazekage raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up, Sandy the Homicidal Maniac."


	32. 13th Hour Part 2

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 32: 13th Hour Part 2

_9 hours, 16 minutes and counting:_

Naruto was sprawled out across the soft grass of the clearing in front of the dojo. Gaara raised an eyebrow and walked over to his friend.

"You need to focus." Gaara crossed his arms. Naruto sat up on his elbows. "I hate waiting."

"I've noticed. I don't know why she puts up with you." The Kazekage mused aloud. Naruto looked up at Gaara with a wide grin. "Jealous?" He teased.

"Honestly," The read head took a deep breath and held out a hand to help up his blonde friend. "I am." Naruto blinked at Gaara in shock and took his hand. Gaara helped Naruto to his feet. "But I have resigned myself to a life of solitude. I doubt I could find someone that could love me the way Myra loves you." Even Naruto could feel how much Gaara hurt. The blonde didn't get a chance to protest Gaara's little pitty party.

Hinata came running out of the forest. "NARUTO!" She was breathing heavily like she had been running all the way from where ever it was she had been running. The Hyuuga girl skidded to a halt in front of the boys. Naruto's heart jumped into his throat.

"What is it Hinata? Is everything ok?" Naruto was letting his worry show. Hinata gulped and tired to catch her breath. She looked at Naruto and there was panic staring back at her. Hinata gulped again and pushed back her own emotions. She didn't want to tell him what she had overheard for fear it would crush him.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

_11 hours, 23 minutes and counting_

The birds were no where to be found and Myra stood at the gates of the Hyuuga manor. She took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." Myra pulled the long rope and she heard bells chime somewhere on the inside of the large house. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. "With Knowledge and Wisdom comes power." She whispered to herself.

The door opened and Hinata stood at the door and blinked at Myra. "Ca – can I help you?" Her voice was very high pitched and timid. Myra had washed her self of all emotion and glared at poor Hinata. "I wish to speak with Lord Hyuuga." Myra demanded through gritted teeth.

Hinata bowed to Myra and was very polite about letting Myra in the manor house. Hinata brought Myra around to the courtyard where Neji and Hanabi were practicing. "Would you wait he-here for a moment?" Hinata asked. Myra nodded and leaned up against the wall.

Neji glanced over at Myra and stopped Hanabi. "That is enough for now Hanabi-san." Hanabi stopped and turned to look at Myra. Once again, Myra could feel the stares of the Hyuuga clan all around her. Myra just shook her head. "You people need to get a new hobby."

Myra continued to lean against the wall. Hanabi wondered off to her room and Neji walked towards Myra.

"You didn't beat me." Neji stared at Myra. Myra looked up at Neji with cold indifference.

"And your point is?' She raised an eyebrow.

"I expected better from a Sharingan Master." He smirked. Myra stood up from the wall and continued her cold stare mixed with a touch of "I loathe you" in her stare. She felt Neji's twinge of intimidation that he channeled into anger. Myra shrugged and repositioned her lean on the wall. "I didn't come here to meet anyone's preconceived expectations."

"Why did you stop using your sharingan during our match the other day?" Neji demanded.

"Because I didn't need it." Myra answered with a laugh in her tone. Neji started to believe that Myra had inherited the typical Uchiha overconfidence.

"It is your greatest asset, so why not use it that way?" He scolded her.

Myra sighed heavily and closed her eyes. "Look Billy…" Neji clenched his fists.

"My name is Neji." He growled at her.

"What ever…" She stood up and opened her eyes to look directly at him. "Had I kept using my sharingan the match would have been over too quickly. I felt like playing with you and you rose to the occasion quit nicely." She took another deep breath and smiled impishly. "I took great delight in putting my boot in your face… Oh wait? I didn't beat you." She looked at him with mocked surprise. "So I guess that hint of purple above you eye is from one of the other girls beating you?" She laughed at him.

Neji lunged at her, but she had already moved out of his way. He had sunk his hand an inch into the wall. Myra stood behind him and shook a finger at him.

"What a temper you have? You may want to learn to count or something, because if I have to be stuck here with you for two weeks, I am going to enjoy annoying the FUCK out of you, just because I can." She giggled evilly.

Hinata had come around the corner. Her eyes were wide. She was mildly afraid of Myra, but Neji scared Hinata when he was angry. "M-my Father w-will see you now." Hinata squeaked

Neji and Myra stared at each other. Neji looked away first. Myra just won a small victory, but not the victory she wanted. Myra started to walk towards Hinata. Neji blocked her path.

"This isn't over." He scowled. Myra could feel the anger and fury that was radiating off of him.

"Oh… It most certainly is not." She smiled. Neji stepped out of her way. Hinata looked worried. Myra smirked and followed Hinata down the corridor to Hiashi's study. Neji glared at her until they were out of sight. The Hyuuga leader sat behind a large wooden desk. Hinata knocked on the door frame. "Father?"

Hiashi looked up from his papers. "Good to see you Lady Ravenheart. I've been expecting you. Hinata, please bring some tea for our guest." Hinata bowed. "Yes Father." And headed for the kitchen.

"Sit." The man commanded and motioned for Myra to sit in a chair.

"No." Myra dropped her usual cheerful tone to a dangerous lower tone. Hiashi squinted at the girl. "I came here to find out what you really want from me." She glared at him.

"I wish the pleasure of your company in my house hold. Perhaps Hinata can learn to be more confident with someone as willful as you are around to teach her." He let out a chuckle.

Myra didn't laugh. "You want me to teach that ghost of a creature confidence? I highly doubt that can be done. The Hyuuga clan is extremely adept at sucking the freedom of will out of a person. You're avoiding my question." She continued her glare.

The Hyuuga leader dropped his fake smile and scowled at her. "Your attitude has not improved."

"Did you expect a phone call from my Father would adjust my attitude?" She crossed her arms.

"I would expect you to know how to address your superiors." He took a deep breath to cool his anger.

"Heh, just because you're higher on the totem pole, doesn't make you superior." Myra kept her tone cold. Hinata felt a little awkward bringing in the tea. She set down the tray and quickly exited. Hinata didn't look at Myra or her father. The Hyuuga girl was confused about Myra. This Ravenheart girl wasn't afraid of anything. Myra had insulted the great Hyuuga clan leader, beaten Neji, and was still taunting both of them mercilessly. Hinata hadn't seen her father this angry in ages. However, the resent gossip about Myra's relationship with a certain blonde ninja didn't sit well with Hinata.

Myra sensed the internal turmoil in Hinata. She had seen Hinata in Naruto's memories and knew the girl had a serious crush on Naruto, even if Naruto never noticed. Myra wanted to reach out to the girl that Pretty Boy thought of as a friend, but now was not the time and place to make friends with Hinata.

Myra crossed her arms. "You still haven't answered my question. What is it you really want?" Hiashi sat forward and steepeld his fingers in front of him. "I would like you to get to know my family better."

Myra felt the gentleness of Hinata's stare. The Hyuuga girl was interested in what was going on and had decided to eavesdrop on the conversation. Hinata had pressed up against the wall on the other side of the study so she could hear.

"Cut to the good part already. Are we seriously going to play this stupid game of polite insults back and forth, or will you tell me what you really want from me?" Myra rolled her eyes.

There was silence for a few moments while Hiashi studied the girl standing in front of his desk. "I could have you thrown in chains right now and completely avoid the rest of this discussion." He let his anger show.

"But you won't because My Father would be here faster than you could blink." She countered dangerously. "I'm sure Neji told you how he got that lovely bruise on his face." Myra slapped a silver tag on the desk. "Wanna see what kind of range my Father has with the Lightning Rider Jutsu?" Her gaze did not waiver and she stared right through him.

The Clan leader flinched at the mention of Myra's father. "What Do You Want?" Myra enunciated each word and continued her glare.

Hiashi took a deep breath. "A marriage of alliance between Clan Hyuuga and Ravenheart." Myra burst into a hearty almost evil laugh.

"I think I can suffer two weeks of the Hyuuga hospitality. I will apologize for disrupting the harmony of your house hold today. After today, you brought my disruption upon yourself." Myra started to walk out the door again. The clan leader tried to keep her listening.

"You haven't even heard the rest of the proposal." He pleaded.

"I don't have to. I don't like Neji and he REALLY doesn't like me."

"Neji will do as he is told." Hiashi hissed.

"I guess that's where Neji and I are different. I bow to no man, woman, beast or creature." Myra spat back.

"That's very interesting to hear." The man calmed. "Rumor has it that the free spirit of the Ravenheart clan as been tamed by a lower creature." Hiashi smirked and sat back in his chair. Myra didn't risk rising to his obvious insult of Naruto. She had to maintain the illusion. She thought quickly and giggled impishly.

"Naruto Uzumaki is a BLAST, but he's all fun and games. Even fun and games have to come to an eventual end." Myra sounded malicious. Hinata's eyes went wide. There was something about Myra's tone that chilled Hinata to the bone. The byakugan ability could see the subtle hints in chakra flow that gave a person away when they told a lie. Myra wasn't lying.

"That's good. I do not think someone of your status in life would do well with someone like Uzumaki." Myra could hear how much Hiashi didn't like Naruto.

Hinata was on the other side of the wall still in shock. She had caught a glimpse of the two strolling with Shikamaru to the reception, they looked so happy, although Naruto looked a little green. She had listened to Gaara tell Sakura how much Naruto cared about this girl. Hinata had seen how upset her disappearance had made Naruto. Now, Hinata had heard with her own ear that it was all fun and games to Myra? She couldn't let Myra hurt Naruto. She had to do something. Hinata broke off from her eavesdropping and headed out the front door. Myra sensed the Hyuuga girl's urgency and wanted desperately to run after her, but it couldn't be helped. Myra would deal with it later.

Myra realized she wasn't going to get any more information out of him. She was going to have to call her father into this. She wanted to foil the evil Hyuuga plot all on her own, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. She was going to need more help. "My personal play toys aside, I can make you a deal. I will get my Father to come here to negotiate on the condition that you delay my confinement until after the Chunin Exams. I think you would be very hard pressed to keep me confined to quarters while there are so many diplomats in town." She uncrossed her arms.

The clan leader contemplated the offer. "Since you have been kind enough to convey to Captain Rai the importance of this proposal, I will agree to delay your incarceration until after the Chunin Exams. How soon do you think your father will be arriving?" He looked elated.

"He should arrive in 18 hours give or take." Myra grinned and was actually out the door of study.

"Good. I look forward to our future business endeavors." He seemed hopeful.

"As do I." Myra disappeared around the corner. She was nearly out the front door when she crashed into Neji. She hit the ground seeing stars.

"You need to watch where you're going, Neji." She looked up at him.

"I am sorry, I was trying to catch Hinata-sama." He offered his hand to her. Myra looked at his hand then smirked back up at him.

"You had me going back there ya know. You almost had me believing that you hate me." She took his hand and he helped her up.

"You were very convincing as well." He smirked.

"Thank you." Myra smiled.

"I've known my uncle was up to something since he heard you would be coming to Konoha. His greed and want for power has been increasing steadily for the last several years. I do not have the ability to bring him to justice. For that you will need Hinata and the rest of the council." Neji stayed toneless.

"And Hinata will need you to stand behind her. I can only do so much. We will have to wait it out and see what happens. Worst case is… Well… I like you Neji, I really do… I don't like you that much." She smiled. Neji had to stifle a chuckle. "I don't think TenTen would be all that pleased about it either."

"Good, we agree about something. Now, we have crowd control to deal with. Hinata will have run directly to Naruto." Myra chewed her bottom lip.

"I am sure Naruto will listen to reason." Neji raised an eyebrow. Myra glared at Neji.

"Uh hu… Think about why you just said… You said Naruto, listen and reason all in the same sentence. What do you think is going to happen?" Myra had both eyebrows raised. Neji hung his head. "I'm glad I learned to dodge bullets." Myra grumbled.


	33. Guess who's coming for dinner

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situation

Chapter 33: Guess who's Coming to dinner

Myra was headed back to her apartment. She needed to call her Father. Myra closed her eyes trying to search for Edgar and Poe, but they were no where to be found. This meant they were out of range of her senses to pick them up. _Not a good time to wonder off._ The girl grumbled. Myra sent had Neji to try and stop Hinata, but she knew it was already too late.

Myra went in her front door and heard the phone ringing madly again. It wasn't her father this time. "Sephie?" Myra picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"MYRA! YOU ARE NEVER GONNA BELIEVE!" The girl screeched so loud Myra held the phone away from her ear.

"Sephie, calm down, you don't have to scream into the phone. Where are you?" Myra was confused.

"I'm on a plane with your Dad." The girl seemed a bit loopy.

"Put my dad on the phone." Myra put her head in her hand.

"Yes sweetheart?" Rai purred.

"First off… OMYGODILOVEYOU! Second… How in THE HELL did you get her on the plane?" Myra was trying to contain her excitement.

"Tranquilizers and gummy bears." Rai smirked.

"That'll do it. How far are you from being at the Gates?" Myra looked at the clock on her wall.

"We should be there in another few hours. We left shortly after I got off the phone with Lord Hyuuga. I have already spoken with Lady Tsunade and as far as anyone is concerned, I am flying in for the Chunin Exams."

"So much for waiting until I called you to leave, thanks Dad." Myra snickered.

"I have faith in your capabilities, sweetheart, but I needed a vacation." He sounded happy.

"Then why'd you bring Sephie?" Myra raised an eyebrow.

"Because she was driving me and your grandfather nuts." Her father teased.

Myra got serious for a second. "How much have you told Sephie about Konoha?"

"I thought I would let you explain it to her." Rai dodged the bullet.

"I see. Put Seph back on the phone." Myra heard the sound of the phone being passed.

"What is up my SIStah?" The girl was acting goofy.

Myra shook her head. "How's Steve?" There was silence on the phone. Sephie's demeanor changed dramatically. "Don't ruin my happy Dramamine buzz with talk of that asshole."

A broad grin crossed Myra's face. "That's SO good to hear."

"Please do not go into the "I told you so" speech." Sephie was pouting on the other side of the phone and Myra could hear it. Myra stifled the chuckle.

"No speeches, I promise. But you and I are going to have a long chat when you get here. Right now I have more important things to deal with, so call me when you and Dad get to the gates and I will be there to meet you. Kay?" Myra smiled.

"Yes ma'am. I will have my bells on." And there was a click. Myra shook her head. "This is going to be an interesting day if nothing else."

She took a deep breath. Myra had no time to be excited. She was to busy being worried. The consolation prize was the fact that should Myra not be able to make things right with Naruto, she would have her best friend to cry on. That made life a little easier. Myra pulled the phone off the charger, stuck it into one of the many pockets of her purple duster and closed the door to her apartment.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 - 0

_Meanwhile, back at the dojo…_

Naruto and Gaara stared at Hinata in disbelief. Hinata looked frantic and was still breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I didn't know what else to do." Hinata started to sob. "I-I didn't want… I-I couldn't let her…" The blonde lowered his head. Gaara put his hand on his friend's shoulder. There were no sounds besides Hinata's sniffle. Naruto took a step forward towards Hinata; then a second step and was running by the third. He didn't know where he was running, but it felt better while he was running.

Gaara didn't try to stop the blonde. Even the Kazekage was having difficulty with Hinata's revelation. Gaara scowled at Hinata which caused the girl to jump. "Are you positive Myra-san said her feelings for Naruto were just an act?"

"I wish I could tell you otherwise Gaara-sama. I can not forget what she said. She sounded like she enjoyed toying with Naruto-kun." Hinata had tears streaming down her face. They both turned when Neji came out of the tree line in a hurry. Neji stopped in front of Hinata.

"Please tell me you haven't found Naruto yet?" Neji seemed concerned. Gaara kept his stark expression. Hinata was surprised to see Neji.

"Neji-niisan?" Hinata stumbled over her words. Neji took a deep breath after seeing her tear streaked face.

"Have already told Naruto-kun what you overheard in your Father's office?" Neji looked angry. Hinata took a few steps back. "Y-Yes."

Neji grumbled a few curses. "Myra-san did not have the time to speak with ANYONE. Nor did I have time to let you in on what was happening." Gaara interrupted. "What exactly is going on?"

Neji started explained the situation to Gaara and Hinata. "Lord Hyuuga has proposed a marriage of alliance between the Hyuuga Clan and the Ravenheart Clan." Neji stared at his cousin. Hinata took in a deep breath. Gaara crossed his arms. "How interesting?" The Kazekage thought aloud.

Hinata blinked. "I don't understand."

"Lord Hyuuga is plotting to take over the village, or that is what we suspect." Neji nodded.

"We? Who is this "we" you are talking about?" Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"I have suspected for years now that Lord Hyuuga has been maneuvering certain Hyuuga loyalists to key positions in different areas of the village. He does not dare openly challenge Lady Tsunade. However, should he obtain enough control over the council, he could effectively control the village with out challenging the Hokage." Neji said flatly. Gaara mulled that over for a few moments. Hinata still looked confused.

"There was a document that came across my desk a few months ago in regards to a permanent peace agreement between Suna and Konoha. It was a proposition to have an ambassador from each village placed on the council as an advisory capacity. Hinata was to be sent to Suna as the Konoha ambassador, and Temari was to be sent to Konoha as the Suna ambassador." Gaara started to put pieces together as well.

"I wouldn't make a very good advisor. I don't know anything about policy or how to run a village." Hinata still looked scared. Myra came into the clearing.

"And that is the very reason your father wants you in Suna. So he can tell you what to tell the Council of Suna. And like the good little daddy's girl you are, you would do it without question." Myra's voice was very low and dangerous. She was angry at Hinata. Neji stood protectively between Myra and Hinata.

"She did what she thought was the right thing to do." Neji glared at Myra.

"I know." Myra groused. Gaara moved forward and squinted at Myra. Myra felt the rising anger in Gaara. "Explain." Gaara's tone was effortless and deadly.

"Before I can explain, I have to know what I am explaining." She turned to Hinata. "What did you tell them?" Myra was trying to stay calm. Hinata blinked.

"I-I told them that you had been toying with Naruto-kun and the relationship was all an act." Hinata hung her head. Myra nodded her head.

"I see…" Myra took a deep breath. She was angry at Hinata, but she understood the Hyuuga girl's reason for running to tell Naruto. "I would be pretty mad at me to, had that been what I said, but that isn't what I said."

"What did you say to Lord Hyuuga?" Gaara was still looking like he would kill Myra had she given him an answer that displeased him.

"I said something about Naruto being a blast. I mentioned fun and games, and how those fun and games had to come to an end someday." Myra nodded. Hinata stared at Myra dumbfounded. It wasn't exactly what Myra had said in the Hyuuga study, but it was close. Gaara blinked. Myra shook her head.

"It isn't what you say. It's how you say it." Myra placed her head in her hand.

"But I watched with my Byakugan, you were telling the truth. Your voice was icy and cold, like you enjoyed the fun and games, but it was nothing more." Hinata yelled at Myra. The Ravenheart girl burst into hearty laughter.

"That's because I was telling the truth, but only half of it. You filled in the blanks. Naruto is a blast to be around in more ways than I want to tell you. I love playing with him, toying with him, making him angry and teasing him mercilessly because its fun and it's a game. With any relationship those fun and games have to an end eventually and you have to think of the serious things." Myra sighed. Gaara looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You lied, but told the truth at the same time?"

"I have always thought that truth can be as sharp as any blade. Used wisely, the truth can set you free. Warp the truth and it can wound you just the same." The Ravenheart girl took a deep breath. "It isn't difficult to do once you understand how it works. It is a simple skill that has gotten me into and out of trouble more times than I care to count." Myra looked to the sky.

"Then it was the perception that became the lie." Gaara stared at Myra.

"Yes and it was intended that way. Apparently it had the desired effect because Lord Hyuuga believes that I care nothing for Naruto." Myra looked sad. "I had planned on telling Naruto, because I am sure that Lord Hyuuga will use it against me as some point." Myra looked at her feet. Gaara walked up to her.

"I do not envy your task, Myra-san. Maybe if we all had thought about the situation, then perhaps it could have been avoided." Gaara nodded. Neji looked sternly at Hinata. The Hyuuga girls started to cry again.

"I-I'm sorry, Myra-san." Hinata bowed very low. Myra turned to Hinata and sighed.

"It's all right. You did the right thing from your point of view. Had the situation been reversed, I would have pulled you aside and beaten the crap out of you." Myra smiled. Hinata stood up.

"I-I thought that I would do that a-after I t-told Naruto-kun." Hinata smiled. Everyone laughed, except Gaara. His lip curled upwards in a smirk. Hinata dried her eyes and looked at Myra.

"Would you like some help in finding him?" The Hyuuga girl wanted to make up for her mistake.

Myra lost her smile and looked at the Hokage Monument. "I already know where he is."


	34. Conversation with the Beast

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 34: Conversation with the Beast

Naruto ran to from the dojo. There was something soothing in running. The blonde didn't want to believe Myra would feel that way, but he had no reason to believe Hinata was lying. He was at the top of the Hokage Monument. It had always been a place where he could clear his head. He stood looking out over the village, clenching his fists in anger.

"_**There are a number of reasons a woman will lie."**_ The Fox grumbled.

"_Go away."_ The blonde closed his eyes.

"_**I have no where else to go. I am always here Brat, I can't GO anywhere."**_ There was silence from Naruto.

"_**What? No witty retort?"**_ There was still silence.

"_**Not even a "shut the hell up"? So you're just going to ignore me?**_" Naruto grumbled, but said nothing. _**"Fine, ignore me. You're better off without her anyway."**_

"_Like you care."_ Naruto hung his head.

"_**I don't."**_ The Fox lied and Naruto could feel it. The blonde closed his eyes and he was standing in front of the gates of the cage. The enormous Fox glaring at him from the inside of the cage. "You're lying." Naruto spat.

"_**Brave of you to face me after so long, Brat."**_ The Fox grinned, baring his teeth.

"I'm not scared of you anymore." Naruto crossed his arms. The giant Fox started to pace behind the bars.

"_**I am the King of Demons Brat, you should be cowering in FEAR."**_ The Fox roared at him. Naruto just stood there.

"Myra isn't scared of you." The blond kept a close watch on the Fox's reaction. The Fox stopped pacing and swiped with giant claws at Naruto from behind the bars. Naruto was far enough back that he was out of reach.

A small smirk came across Naruto's lips. "Why do you call her by name?"

The Fox snarled, _**"I do not have to answer to a Brat like you."**_

"Yes you do. Cause you're stuck here and have nothing better to do. Why, you stinkin' Fox, why is Myra so blasted important?" He glared at the enormous Fox

"_**There is nothing important about her. She is a sharingan user. You know how much I loathe that cursed family. Myra is unique, but she isn't anything more to me than something I can play with."**_ The Fox yawned and curled up with his back against the bars. The Fox didn't want Naruto to see he had a soft spot for the girl.

"That's a load of shit." The blonde boy crossed his arms.

"_**Believe what you will."**_ The Fox lifted its head and snarled at Naruto. _**"Now I have a question for you. Why did you run?"**_ Naruto opened his eyes again. He stared out over the village.

"_I thought you were staying out of my head for a few days? What changed your mind?" _Naruto sat with his legs dangling over the edge of the cliff.

"_**My original intention was an opportunity to laugh, gloat and point out detrimental character flaws that provide me with endless amounts of entertainment."**_ The Fox chuckled.

"_I hate you."_ Naruto spat. The Fox let out a deep belly laugh.

"_**I would prefer fear, but hate suites me just fine. Now, since I answered your question"**_ The Fox smiled. _**"Tell me why you ran like a coward?"**_

"_I am no coward."_ The blonde boy grumbled.

"_**Then why did you run? If it wasn't because you were afraid, then why?"**_ The Fox yawned lazily.

_"I didn't want to hear any more. I trust Hinata, but I didn't want to believe Myra would betray me like that. I had to clear my head and you aren't helping."_ Naruto pulled his knees into his chest.

"_**Of COURSE I'm not helping. I'm tormenting you."**_ The Fox laughed. _**"I'm a Demon, it's what I do.**_" The Fox grinned. _**"I just find it interesting that for as much as you claim to,"**_ The Fox seemed like he was going to be sick, _**"love Myra, you were quick to believe her betrayal."**_

Something snapped in Naruto's mind. He had judged Myra with out even asking her for an explanation. She was, after all, talking with that Hyuuga bastard. A memory stirred from the day before, something the Fox had mentioned. Myra can lie and still tell the truth. Naruto smacked himself on the head. _"I still hate you, but thanks for not helping." _

"_**Anytime I can torment you makes my imprisonment more entertaining. You're welcome."**_ The Fox smiled and the echo faded. Naruto sat there for a little while longer mulling everything over. He was still confused by the Fox's behavior. The Fox was being nice. It was a creepy thought to Naruto. The blonde stood up from his spot when he sensed the three hiding behind the rocks. "Not now." He grumbled.

Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon jumped out from behind the rocks. "But, Naruto-Niisan, you promised. You said you would take us on a camping trip to prepare for the Forest of Death when we passed the written exam." Konohamaru crossed his arms and scowled at Naruto.

Naruto sighed. He had promised, but other things had gotten in the way and he had promptly forgotten. "What did Ebisu say about you guys hanging out with me for a few days?"

Moegi giggled. "He isn't happy about it, but he said it might actually be good for us."

"Konohamaru threatened Ebisu-sensei with the Sexy Jutsu if he tried to stop us." Udon sniffled. "I should mention that I'm allergic to nature."

Naruto turned his gaze slightly to his left. He had noticed Myra sneaking up behind the kids. He took another deep breath and pretended he hadn't noticed. "I don't know Konohamaru, survival training was never my strong point." The blonde rubbed the back of his head. "As long as I have instant Ramen and water I can survive anywhere. But they don't let you take that in the Forest of Death."

The kids slumped in disappointment. Myra was trying not to laugh. Her Father might be able to help Naruto out. That is if Naruto was still talking to her. Naruto heard Myra move behind the rocks.

"I did promise that I would take you guys out and I won't go back on that promise. I have to talk to a few people and most important, I have to catch a rabbit first." Naruto smirked. Myra jumped. The kids looked at Naruto in confusion.

"Why do you have to catch a rabbit?" Konohamaru asked. Myra thought the same thing. The last time Naruto had chased her, things were not suitable for small children. A sly smirk crossed the blonde's face.

"I got me a pet rabbit." Naruto started. Myra growled. "_PET? I am not a PET."_ Myra thought.

Naruto tried to stifle his chuckle. "I lost my Rabbit the first time because I was stupid. She found me and life was happy again." The kids were staring at Naruto like he was crazy. Myra stood up from behind the rock and stared at Naruto.

Naruto smirked. "Long story short, my Rabbit got lost again because I let stupid stuff get in the way." Myra was about to dash forward and tackle him, until Naruto looked very sternly at her and shook his head. Myra stopped before she had started. Her chocolate brown eyes started to water. The kids finally turned around to see Myra standing behind them.

"I'm still pretty angry about the whole mess, but I need to talk to her before I can take you guys anywhere." Naruto dropped his hands to his sides and looked very seriously at her. Myra could tell he was angry, but not as angry as he wanted her to believe. Myra took a deep breath and clamed her nerves. She started to walk forward.

Konohamaru and Udon stared at Myra. "That's a big rabbit." Udon snikered.

Konohamaru pointed at Myra and asked Naruto enviously. "How do I get a pet rabbit like that?" Naruto shot a glare at Konohamaru. Moegi smacked Konohamaru over the head.

"What?!" Konohamaru groused at Moegi. Myra had to stifle the giggle. The blonde raised an eyebrow and looked at Myra. Myra pouted to combat his look of disappointment. Naruto closed his eyes and sighed.

"I can get an explanation later." Naruto opened his eyes and smiled at her. Myra's face lit up and she smiled right back at him. She couldn't hold herself back any more. There was a blur of purple and she tackle hugged him. Naruto knew the moment they touched, there was no possible way Myra didn't love him. Naruto hugged her back.

Moegi sighed and her eyes watered. Konohamaru crossed his arms and harrumphed as he pouted. Myra was tearing a little. Naruto smiled at her wiping away the tears on her cheeks. Moegi started to sob. Konohamaru rolled his eyes. Udon just sniffled.

Myra started to laugh. Naruto joined her seconds later. The blonde's face got serious again. "Are you going to be a free to go camping?"

"Freedom is still tentative, but the incarceration is on hold for now." She let go of Naruto. "Why are we going camping anyway?"

Konohomaru puffed out his chest to look important. "Naruto-niisan promised he would take us when we passed the written part of the Chunin exams. We passed the exam this afternoon. Forest of Death is next week."

Myra ruffled Konohamoaru's hair. "Forest of Death, huh? Sounds like fun." The kids looked at her like she was crazy. Naruto just raised an eyebrow. "The Forest of Death is not fun."

"It sounds fun, except for the Death part." Myra chuckled and walked over to Naruto again.

Naruto shook his head. "I love you, but damn are you weird."

Myra giggled and kissed Naruto on the nose, "Yeah… I know… I laugh at the face of hatred and I make demons scream my name…" Naruto blushed.


	35. Daddy's Home

Normal  
"Speech"_  
Thought  
__**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 35: Daddy's home

They stood at the gates waiting. Myra had gotten the phone call about an hour before. Her father and Sephie had been picked up by representatives of Konoha. In a switch of events, Myra was pacing nervously and Naruto was sitting still with his eyes closed. Had Myra taken a moment from her pacing, she would have noticed his soft snoring.

Poe and Edgar came into sight. Poe flapped down to Myra's shoulder, while Edgar fluttered to a precarious position on Naruto's head. Myra smirked. "Edgar, don't even think about it."

"_To late, I already thought about it."_ The great bird pecked Naruto on the forehead, waking him with a start. There was a flurry of wings and arms. Naruto came out of the mess of feathers with his hands around Edgar's throat, shaking the bird rather violently.

"NARUTO!" Myra yelled wide eyed at the blonde. Poe was internally laughing. Naruto stopped shaking Edgar, but kept his grip around the bird's neck. The blonde looked at Myra disgruntled.

"PUT. THE. BIRD. DOWN." Myra glared. Naruto released Edgar with a harrumph. The bird coughed and flapped to the branch of a tree.

"_Stupid Fox Boy!"_ Edgar grumbled.

"Stupid Bird Brain." Naruto grumbled back.

Myra and Poe shared a laugh. _"Poe, do you think those two will ever get along?"_ Myra smiled stroking Poe feathers.

"_Edgar likes Pretty Boy more than he is letting on. But you should know how Edgar is. He enjoys pestering and aggravating the humans he likes."_ Poe sighed. Myra giggled and turned when she heard the sounds of the SUV pulling into the gates. Poe took flight and landed in the tree next to the ruffled, but unharmed Edgar.

"_We are going back to the nest. I need to take a nap."_ Edgar groused.

"_You just had a nap."_ Poe cooed.

"_It takes a lot of stamina to travel across country."_ The bigger bird ruffled his feathers.

Poe tilted her head at Edgar. _"You are incorrigible. But if we must nap, then so be it."_ There was a flutter of wings and the birds flew off. The black SUV stopped just inside the gates and a man in a black business suit and sunglasses exited the driver's side and opened the side door.

All Naruto saw was a blur of pink and black jump from the SUV and tackle Myra. Myra hit the ground with a thud. "MYRA! I HATE FLYING!" The petite blonde yelled. Naruto couldn't really see the girl very well. She was wearing a neon pink t-shirt with black jeans. Her boots were similar to the ones Myra was wearing. Her blonde hair had layered black and pink highlights. It reminded him of Temari's preferred hair style, but more colorful and longer.

"Sephie, I'm glad you're on the ground safely. I'm also very glad to see you… NOW GET OFF ME!" Myra grunted. Sephie looked around. The blonde girl hadn't realized she had tackled her friend to the ground.

"Ooops… Sorry." Sephie said apologetically. A tall man with long black hair pulled back in a tight pony tail and dark eyes got out of the other side of the SUV. He was wearing a dark blue button down shirt and regular blue jeans. Plain white sneakers were one his feet. He walked over to the girls and pulled Sephie off of Myra. He smirked and held out his hand to help Myra off the ground.

Myra's face lit up as she took the man's hand. She nearly toppled him over as she stood up and captured him in a monstrous bear hug. "Dad!" She breathed him in.

Naruto had stepped closer to the reunited family. Sephie was watching Myra and her father shedding a mock tear. Sephie sniffled teasingly. "It's just so beautiful."

Myra dropped her arms, but her father didn't let go. "Um Dad… You can let go now."

"I'm just happy to see ya kiddo." Rai let go of his daughter and smiled at her.

"You saw me a few days ago. It's not like I've been gone for that long." She groused.

Rai smirked at Myra. "I'm your father and it's been a few days too many."

Myra chuckled. "I'm happy to see you too Dad." Naruto had been standing off to one side not wanting to intrude. The driver walked over to Rai and whispered something that Myra didn't catch. Rai nodded and turned his attention back to Myra.

"It seems that Lady Tsunade wants to see me as soon as possible." He looked at Myra. "Do you think you can keep Sephie out of trouble while I go do official stuff?" He smiled.

Myra raised a mischievous eyebrow. "I think I can do that." Myra looked over at Sephie, who was having a very one sided conversation with the other escort in the passenger side of the SUV. He had white spiked hair, sunglasses, an eye patch and a mask. Naruto had noticed Kakashi and was trying not to bust a gut laughing.

Rai walked over and took the blonde boy under intense scrutiny. The elder Ravenheart couldn't help but think back to his best friend growing up. Naruto looked so much like the Yondiame. Naruto jumped a little at the man's gaze. The boy blinked up at Rai.

"I knew your sensei Jiraiya, Naruto Uzumaki. He was a great warrior and I mourn his passing." Both Naruto and Rai frowned a little. Rai regained his bright smile. "We will be able to swap training stories later, but now it is a great honor to meet you." Rai extended his hand. Naruto blinked in shock. _"He's honored to meet me?"_ the boy thought. Naruto shook the man's hand; then looked over at Myra who was beaming.

Sephie had finally peeled her hazel eyes from the disguised Kakashi to notice Myra smiling dreamily at Rai and the blue eyed hottie. She elbowed Myra in the ribs.

"Ow! What was that for?" Myra grumbled, rubbing at her side.

"Who's Mr. Hot Stuff?" Sephie asked, nodding toward Naruto.

Myra tilted her head and smirked. "Mine." Myra growled possessively. "So don't get any ideas."

Sephie's eyebrows disappeared underneath her pink and black bangs. "Oh really?" she eyed her best friend. Sephie crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Lucy, you have some 'splainin' ta do." Said the petite blonde in her best "Ricky" accent.

"Uh… No… I don't." Myra looked at Sephie indifferently.

"Yeah right… Cut the crap!" Sephie squinted at Myra. "What happened to that famous motto?"

Myra looked at Sephie confused. "Which one?"

"Men are pigs." Sephie grumbled.

"Oh… That one." Myra chuckled. "Men ARE pigs." She nodded. "That one," nodding to Naruto, "just happens to be an exception to the rule." Myra smiled. Naruto walked over to Myra with her father right behind him. He snaked his arms around her waist, kissing her gently on the cheek. Sephie was in shock. Rai simply laughed. He hadn't seen Myra that happy in a long time.

Sephie squinted, perplexed by the sight of the affection. The petite blonde girl started to inspect Naruto thoroughly. Naruto looked at Myra confused. Myra smiled and shook her head. Sephie looked at Myra.

"So what did he have to do to get the block of ice to melt?" Sephie walked around Naruto again. Myra shrugged.

"Persephone Marshall, Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto Uzumaki, this is Sephie. My best friend." Myra smirked.

Naruto let go of Myra and offered Sephie his hand. He had his classic grin on his face. Sephie raised an inquisitive eyebrow and shook his hand. "Pleasure to me the man that was able to melt the Ice Princess." Naruto looked confused again. He didn't understand a word she said, so he continued to smile. Sephie leaned back to Myra and whispered. "Does he have a brother?"

Myra closed her eyes and nodded, then smacked Sephie upside the back of the head. "OW!" Sephie's cry of pain made everyone jump. Rai turned to Myra who was whistling like nothing had happened. He had to stifle his chuckle. Rai clapped his hand on Naruto's shoulder which made Naruto jump again.

"I have to run off to the Hokage's office for a little while. We can meet up somewhere afterwards and eat before I go have a little chat with Lord Hyuuga." Rai felt Naruto tense at the mention of the Hyuuga bastard. Myra nodded, as did Sephie. Rai looked at Naruto.

"Do you think you can handle both of them?" The man smirked.

"DAD!" Myra shouted looking horrified.

Naruto had a mischievous foxy smile on his face. He looked over at his scowling girlfriend and lost the foxy grin for something more serious. "I will do my best, Sir." He said flatly.

Rai chuckled. The elder Ravenheart hugged his daughter and Sephie. "You two stay out of trouble."

"Sure Dad… Sephie and I are going to go paint the town pink with purple polka dots." Myra had a sly smirk on her face.

Sephie crossed her arms indignantly. "I like chartreuse polka dots better."

Rai shook his head and laughed. "Please don't get into any more trouble." Both girls looked at each other and grinned evilly. Naruto was a little frustrated by all the talking but no understanding of what anyone was saying. Most of all, he was worried about the two girls with matching devilish grins.

"_**Are you sure you want to know what those two are up to?"**_ The Fox rumbled.

"_YES!"_ Naruto screamed inwardly.

"_**I can give you understanding, however, keep it to yourself for the time being. It may prove to be more entertaining and more enlightening if you do."**_ The Fox yawned.

Myra and Sephie waved as Rai got into the SUV and drove away. Myra and Sephie were giggling. "Think he suspects anything?" Sephie grinned. Myra tilted her head and smiled deceptively at Naruto. "He hasn't got a clue."

Naruto returned the deceptive smile. He had understood what they had said and was assuming the worst. Evil thoughts ran through his mind. If he kept quiet, they may talk about him and maybe, just maybe, he could find out why this Sephie girl was so shocked to see him with Myra.


	36. Parallels

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

**_Kyuubi_**

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations

Chapter 36: Parallels

There was a knock on the Hokage's office door. "Come in!" The blonde Hokage had been waiting patiently.

"Lady Tsunade! It is good to see you again. You are as lovely as ever." Rai bowed.

She smiled at him. "Please sit." Rai took a seat in front of her desk. "So what do you think if Naruto now that you have gotten to meet him?" questioned the Hokage.

"I think he is a fine boy. His father would be very proud of him. I want to know how you keep the secret from him. He looks so much like Minato it is uncanny. I am surprised he's never asked or figured it out himself." Rai frowned.

Tsunade let out a sad chuckle. "It's a lot more difficult than you think, but it isn't something that I can discuss. A few more months and it won't need to be a secret anymore. In the meantime, talk of the Yondiame is kept to a minimum. I had to forbid Myra from speaking of the transportation jutsu."

Rai's eye's lit up. "She did it? She actually did it? In combat?"

"Yes and no. It didn't blow up in her face, but it did more damage to her than it did to her opponent. It still needs a little work." The blonde Hokage chuckled. "I told her to keep it to herself."

"Myra is good at keeping secrets." Rai chuckled.

"That she is." Tsunade looked upset again. "There is something I need to ask. How good is she at Dream Walking?"

Rai took a deep breath. "Better than her grandfather or great grandfather. I believe it has something to do with Sharingan, but there hasn't been a chance to fully test those abilities. She doesn't like using her sharingan."

"I noticed that." Tsunade nodded.

"She says it is because it takes her to a very dark place. And she always has nightmares after she uses it. The more she uses it the darker her mood gets. While she was cramming for her end of term exams last year, she was a bear to live with. It was like something from the underworld had taken over. Of course I want to believe it was that she was an unruly teenager." Rai grinned. "Why the curiosity?"

Tsunade sighed "Well there is a situation in the resort village a few miles down the road. A man was brought to the hospital there about a year ago. He was badly maimed, wounded and not a single identifying mark on him. We were planning on transferring him to the secure unit at Konoha General, but according to the nurses at resort hospital, the woman that brought him in asked for him to be taken care of, but not moved. The old woman comes once a month with out fail. She does not speak to the man, touch him, or let the injured man know in anyway that she is near. She spends about an hour with him then leaves. We aren't sure who this man is, and we thought maybe Myra could…"

Rai interrupted. "That is known as Diving. There is an element of force that Myra is not fond of."

"Is there anything your daughter is fond of?" Tsunade chuckled.

Rai laughed. "Besides Naruto? You forget Lady Tsunade, Myra chooses to rebel against authority. Even my control over her is limited to her knowledge that I have no reservations about kicking her ass to the ground, repeatedly. And I can't do that much longer."

"Maybe that would have worked with Sasuke?" Tsunade mused out loud.

"What have you told Myra of Sasuke and the Massacre?" Rai asked.

"Nothing really. I am sure that Naruto and Sakura have filled her in on what they can. I haven't seen her in the library yet asking for the Uchiha archives." Tsunade tilted her head.

"Good. The less she knows the better. She doesn't need to think about going off on a wild goose chase." Rai sighed. "Now explain to me what I need to do about Hiashi-teme."

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Myra and Sephie sat at the edge of the clearing near the dojo watching Naruto, Neji, Gaara, Kiba, and Lee trying to kill each other. Or at least that's the way things looked like to Persephone. Akamaru sat next to Myra panting happily.

"So… They really are… Ninjas?" Sephie continued to stare.

"We prefer the term Shinobi." Myra was scratching Akamaru's belly. "Isn't that right Akamaru?" She was using a sing song cute voice. The large white dog barked in agreement.

Sephie took her eyes off the boys and turned to Myra, "You too? You're a ninja?"

Myra chuckled. "Yes, Sephie. I'm a ninja too. Haven't you ever once thought why the hell I have a huge gym in my house, and I don't play sports? Or why I never had to take a PE classes? Or why it took three days of moping and pouting to get Dad to let me join the cheerleading squad?"

"I did kind of wonder, but I thought all rich people had their own gym." The girls shared a laugh. Naruto's concentration was momentarily broken and he took a fist in gut from Kiba. Myra flinched.

"So why aren't you down there beating their brains in or something?" Sephie shrugged.

"Well because it wouldn't be polite for one." Myra gave Sephie a sideways smile. Naruto had been waiting for this since they had started walking to the dojo. He had to suffer through Sephie talking about her ex boyfriend. Even Naruto thought the guy was an ass, but Myra kept quiet and let Sephie ramble.

When the three had gotten to the dojo, Myra thought it would be easier to show Sephie, rather than try to explain the shinobi world to Sephie. Luckily Lee and Naruto helped out a lot. Myra could give Sephie a play by play of what was going on, and the boys could get the work out they so badly needed. Soon, Gaara and Neji had come back from a visit with the Hokage. Then Kiba arrived with Akamaru. Kiba wasn't talking to Myra.

"I'm guessing he's still a little pissed at me." Myra chuckled. "What do you think Akamaru?" The dog whined and ruffed out his answer. "Ok. So does that mean I'm off the hook?" The large white dog panted happily and licked Myra's face. "Sweet."

Sephie looked at Myra confused. "You can talk to dogs too?"

"I have gossip, but it won't make any sense until you meet Hinata." Myra nodded. Naruto took a break from the sparing and got closer to the girls so he could over hear what they were talking about, hoping that it would finally be juicy.

"That's fine. I want to know the dish about you and Blondie." Sephie eyed Myra. Myra started to blush furiously.

"What's there to know?" Myra continued to blush.

"Oh come on, that wonderful shade of red that you just turned tells me something about you Myra Windfeather Ravenheart. You've slept with him and it was good." Myra's eyes were like dinner plates, but so were Naruto's.

"PERSEPHONE! HOW DARE you accuse me of something… Damn, is it that obvious?" Myra couldn't be mad are Sephie.

"YES! You were this silly before that party with…" Myra cut Sephie off.

Myra looked visibly upset with Sephie and glared at the petite blonde girl making her jump back. "We don't talk about THAT PARTY, REMEMBER. I try to forget that party ever happened." Myra got up and hopped up on the roof leaving Sephie on the ground.

Sephie looked around and knew she had mentioned the one thing that could set Myra off. Sephie sat there a little confused about what to do. The large white dog curled up next to Sephie and whined. Naruto hopped up onto the roof. He could sense that Myra was angry. The temperature around her had dropped a few degrees and it didn't feel like the cheerful person Myra was.

"What's wrong?" He asked attentively.

"Nothing… Not a god damn thing." She turned a way from him.

"Don't do this Rabbit, talk to me." He wrapped his arms around her. She was cold to the touch, like her warmth had been sucked out of her. He knew that feeling all too well. Loneliness and despair, hopelessness and shame, it was a pit of darkness that he knew all to well. Myra wasn't crying, but she was very upset.

"There isn't much I can tell you Pretty Boy…" Her voice was icy, cold and heartless. "Cause there isn't much I remember about the party. I remember going, I remember having a drink. I remember waking up, naked, sore in places no woman should be sore, and a skull splitting headache. I got dressed and left the out the widow." She crossed her arms. "It took me about a week to get over the tearing, took me another week to face anyone at school again."

Myra's body started to get colder. Naruto held her closer in an attempt to get her to warm up. "The part that Sephie doesn't know, is why Dante, the guy… that… Well the guy that treated me like a party favor. He's in a coma." Myra started to nod her head. "Because I enjoyed ripping his mind from his body and leaving him that way. I turned him into a vegetable that has to be fed through a tube and pee through a tube. I left him with the ability to hear all around him, and no control over anything. I left trapped in his own mind for the rest of eternity. And I didn't bat an eyelash doing it." Naruto stared at her in shock. She pushed him away. "Keep an eye on Sephie for me."

"Where are you going?" Naruto looked at her with concern.

"I need to be alone." And she flickered out of sight. Naruto jumped off the roof in a hurry. _"Not again"_ He thought.

Sephie looked at the depressed looking Naruto and crossed her arms. "If you could understand me, I would have told you not to push her about that, but Noooo… You had to push, and now she went off somewhere. I wouldn't' worry about her though. She'll blow off some steam, buy a new pair of shoes and she'll be fine. She has to be back in a few hours anyway. We are having an early dinner with her dad, Right?" Sephie smiled.

Naruto shook his head. He would let Sephie be the expert on this one and wouldn't follow Myra. He couldn't help but wonder where she was going though.


	37. Face to Face

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

**_Kyuubi_**

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations

Chapter 37: Face to Face

Jugo had wondered pretty far from the camp site. He had grown tired of Suigetsu's constant teasing of Karin and Karin's constant beating on Suigetsu. Sasuke had gone off to do what ever it was that Sasuke did on these days when they were camped close to the resort town near Konoha.

Jugo didn't like being near Konoha. There was always a danger of being found, but it seemed that over the last year, there hadn't been an interest in Sasuke anymore. The large man sighed heavily and continued to wonder the forest. He was momentarily lost in the sounds of the spring birds singing away, when he heard a sob intermixed with the bird song.

He crept closer to the sound of the sobbing and saw a woman, dressed in purple. She was sitting at the base of a large tree with her knees pulled into her chest and she was crying. The sobbing stopped and the woman looked around in Jugo's direction. He quickly hid back behind the tree. Stealth was not his area of expertise. "I know you're there. Come out where I can see you… Please…" Said the woman. Her voice was laden with her tears.

Jugo walked out into light. The woman had stood up and had taken a defensive stance. "I didn't mean to disturb you." Jugo said sheepishly.

The raven haired woman relaxed. "No bother, I need to start back anyway." She whipped her cheeks of tears and sniffled.

"Why were you crying?" Jugo asked. There was something about her that screamed she needed a sympathetic ear. He didn't understand why, but he felt like he could help.

Myra blinked up at the large orange haired man standing before her. He was another man that had a great amount of sadness and regret floating around him like a swam of flies. _"What the hell? Is a tragic past a pre-requisite to get accepted into Ninja world these days?"_ She shook her head. "Unless you know what it's like to kill with no regret, I doubt you can help."

Jugo hung his head. "Actually, I do." Myra felt the overwhelming amount of shame and remorse that came from Jugo.

She walked over to him and put a gentle hand on Jugo's arm and looked at him with understanding in her brown orbs. "My name is Myra, and I didn't kill him, but I might as well have."

They spent the next hour or so talking about regrets and guilt. Myra cried on his shoulder and she felt better. Jugo didn't cry, but he did feel better. Karin had never wanted to talk to him. Suigetsu wanted to kill him. Sasuke, well, Sasuke didn't talk to anyone. Myra didn't seem to be upset about the fact that he could rage out of control at any second.

"That's ok, I can run really fast." She chuckled. Myra stood up and stretched. She felt another presences coming fast from the tree tops. Myra tilted her head. Before she could think about what HE was doing there, she felt the air crackle and she smelt the ozone.

Sasuke aimed the Chidori Bolt at her chest. He wanted her unconscious, but relatively unharmed. Myra pushed Jugo out of the way. She took the bolt square in the chest and was only pushed back a few feet. Jugo watched as Myra allowed the lightening dance between her hands for a few seconds then she redirected the bolt back at a tree just to one side of where Sasuke was now standing.

The tree trunk exploded into splinters, Jugo looked surprised and confused. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Myra. Myra was looking a bit pissed off at Sasuke. "You shouldn't play with lightening… You could hurt somebody."

"Hn." _That was the point._ Sasuke walked over and got very close to Myra.

"I see you still have no sense of humor." Myra shook her head.

"Hn." _I don't see anything funny about this situation._ He dusted himself off.

"I see the humor in everything. Anything can be funny if you look at it right." Myra smiled. Jugo was still taking a few steps away from Myra.

Sasuke blinked and looked at Myra. "I haven't said a word."

Myra raised an eyebrow. "Yes you did. You said "Hn"… Which is a word… I think."

Sasuke started to look around the clearing. _I need to get her to leave before someone misses her._

Myra sighed heavily. "I am sure I am already missed. I left in a bit of a huff, but I don't have to back for another hour or so."

This time Sasuke knew something was strange. He cleared his mind of all thought and turned to Jugo. "Go back to camp. I will deal with her."

"You aren't going to hurt her. She's actually very nice." Jugo looked worried.

"She won't feel a thing," Sasuke nodded.

Myra smiled at Jugo. "Don't worry big guy, I think I can take him…"

Jugo smiled. He knew what was coming. Sasuke wouldn't kill her, but he would make her forget what she had seen, and probably what they talked about. Jugo felt sorry for Myra, but at least he could keep the memory of the chat and maybe he could use some of her advice the next time he felt his sanity slip.

Sasuke waited until Jugo was out of sight. Then he rounded on Myra.

"CRAZY BITCH, what the hell are you DOING?" He snarled.

"I took a walk and got lost in the forest… It happens. What the hell are you doing so freaking close to Konoha you Fucktard?" She shouted back.

They both glared at each other for a second. Myra finally rolled her eyes and turned away. _What a Fucktard!_ She thought and Sasuke's eyes went wide. Myra looked at Sasuke like he had gone completely mad. "What?" She asked.

"You haven't noticed." _That I don't have to talk?_ He looked at her with cold black eyes.

"You don't talk anyway. So what does it matter?" She still looked confused.

_Are all geniuses as stupid as you are?_ He raised an eyebrow.

"How dare you use one of my insults!?" Myra turned her back on him and as she was starting to storm off, it dawned on her. She turned around and looked at him with the widest grin on her face. _HOLY SHIT! I wonder if its just verbal thought?_ She got the most evil grin on her face as she allowed a picture of Naruto dance in her brain.

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a very deep breath. "It isn't just verbal thoughts, now make it stop." He looked like he was going to be sick.

Myra started to think about Sakura and allowed a picture she had seen of Sakura in a very tiny bikini dance in her mind. Then she watched as the Uchiha ice cube melted and blushed. "Eureka." Myra giggled evilly.

Sasuke shook off the thought of the pink haired kunoichi. Myra felt the darkness take over Sasuke's thoughts again. "I guess I better get back to civilization." She started to walk back towards the main road to Konoha.

"Oi, Crazy Bitch… How did you shrug off my Chidori?" He glared at her.

"Part of that family history lesson I promised. My dad started to throw lightening bolts at me when I was nine. Ravenheart family element is Lightening, so I am intimately familiar with what lightening can and can not do. My hand is still extremely numb by the way. It may have looked cool as hell, but it hurt just as much." Myra showed Sasuke the burn mark on the palm of her right hand. Myra sighed. "I need to get going." She started to walk away.

Sasuke watched her take a few steps. Then he did something despite himself, he grabbed her wrist. She turned back to him. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. _Is there a way that, maybe I can see Sakura?_

Myra smiled at him. _I will see what I can do. I can't promise anything, but I am sure I can come up with something. There isn't a way I can convince you to just come back with me is there?_

Sasuke let go of her hand and returned to his cold emotionless expression. "I can't go back." _Not yet anyway._

"What ever… See ya round Fucktard." Myra started to head towards the Gates of Konoha. She was really late for that early diner. But she needed the time alone. Talking with Jugo, Myra understood something new. She had allowed the rage and anger to take over when she destroyed Dante. Sure it felt good at the time, but it didn't make her feel any less violated. Myra would get back to Konoha and as soon as she could, she would tell her father the truth about Dante.

Sasuke watched Myra's figure disappear into the forest. He turned around to find Karin standing with her hands on her hips looking scandalized. "Who was the harlot?"

Sasuke didn't dignify Karin with a response. Sasuke turned his death glared at her. Karin flinched and took this as a sign never to ask again, which she didn't. At least she wasn't going to ask Sasuke. The Uchiha didn't wait for Karin when he started back to the camp. He was met with Jugo's sad face at the loss of his new friend. Sasuke had tried desperately not to get attached to any of his "teammates", and he hadn't really. But Jugo was the exception.

Jugo was a really nice guy, a little naïve maybe, but a really nice person. Sasuke had taught Jugo to meditate to keep the rages at bay, and it had been working for the most part. Jugo also noted that taking out his frustrations on a near by tree or rock when he got angry seemed to help as well. It had been almost 4 whole weeks and not a single outburst.

But the sad look on Jugo's face threatened that record. Sasuke put a hand on his shoulder and nodded. "She's fine." Then as soon as the acknowledgement was there, it was gone before anyone, but Jugo could notice. Sasuke went back to being stoic and unemotional. Karin made it back to the camp site.

"I think we better leave before this place is crawling with Leaf ANBU." Karin crossed her arms.

"Hn. We stay here. They are holding Chunin Exams in Konoha right now. They don't have the ANBU to spare. Get some rest. We will be here for a few days." Sasuke bounded up a tree. Jugo took his position under the tree and glared at Karin.

Karin thought there was something fishy about the whole thing. The girl, Sasuke's behavior with the girl, and Jugo's odd smile bothered Karin. What was more disturbing was when she had gone to get Sasuke in the clearing, she thought he was alone. She hadn't felt the girl with him. Now that they were apart it was strange. Karin could sense Sasuke high in the tree, but if she didn't know any better, she could also say that Sasuke was heading for the gates of Konoha. Yes, there was something fishy about that girl.


	38. A New Plan and The Answer

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

**_Kyuubi_**

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations

Chapter 38: A New Plan and The Answer

The Hyuuga leader held his head up high. "My clan was insulted by the Ravenheart. What does it matter that I ignored the Uzumaki boy?"

The old council woman squinted at Hiashi. "It means a great deal, Hyuuga-sama." She croaked. "If the Ravenheart girl was defending the honor of her escort, she would be well with in the rules of society to do so. I find it extremely interesting that before you lodged this complaint with the council, you made a phone call to her father." The old woman nodded. There were several other council members that whispered and nodded as well.

"Her manners are deplorable. She had no right…" Hiashi was cut off by Tsunade bursting into the council chambers with Lord Ravenheart right behind her.

"No right to insult you? Or are you merely angry she refused your proposal to marry Neji?" Tsunade had a smirk on her face. There were gasps and whispers from the council. They had not been informed of a marriage proposal, nor did they know that the Lord Ravenheart was going to make an appearance in Konoha.

Rai took a stance at the head of the council table. "I will be the first to admit, my daughter has a very sharp wit and an even sharper tongue. Where she was taught how to behave in polite society, there are obviously finer points she has not grasped.

"I can not, in all honesty, ask the council to forgive her actions on the basis of ignorance. However, I believe that my daughter acted admirably, despite Lord Hyuuga's obvious dislike from the Uzumaki boy and Lord Hyuuga did insult my daughter as well."

An older man grumbled. "This is all a matter of hear say. There is no proof of any of this."

"There is." The blonde Hokage smirked. "The Kazekage witnessed the blatant disregard for Naruto and Myra. Then and there, the Kazekage was kind enough to remind Lord Hyuuga of the proper way to behave in public. Myra then spoke with Lord Hyuuga in the hopes to diffuse the situation. I could summon Lord Gaara, if the council so chooses." There were more whispers and stares from the council. Hiashi looked angry.

The old woman spoke again. "If this is so, Lord Hyuuga, then this is not a matter for the council. It is simply a matter of your pride being wounded. There are Chunin and Jounin exams for the council to worry about. Petty crimes against the great Hyuuga Clan should be handled between the Hyuuga Clan and the Ravenheart Clan. However you choose to resolve such matters is between Lord Hyuuga and Lord Ravenheart."

There were more nods of agreements from the rest of the council members assembled.

"That's absurd!" Hiashi protested. His anger showed on his face.

"Hiashi!" Tsunade stomped her foot making the whole room shake and causing a few of the council members to flinch. "Lord Ravenheart has a solution to this situation."

"I propose an extra match to the finals of the Chunin exams." Rai looked at Hiashi with a glare.

Hiashi put a hand on his chin. "A battle to determine the truth. Champion vs. Champion. I am sure that Neji would enjoy a rematch." The Hyuuga leader grinned.

"Where I am sure that Neji WOULD enjoy a rematch," Tsunade glared. "Neji is not of the main branch and therefore can not be chosen as a champion."

Hiashi paled. He was facing a dilemma. Remove the curse mark from Neji and make him the heir he should be, or send Hinata to her possible death. Hiashi wouldn't dare send Hanabi, though she was talented, she was no match for Myra. The Hyuuga clan leader continued to contemplate this idea.

Hiashi knew that Myra had defeated Neji, only just, but she had beaten him. And she had done it injured, exhausted, and extremely low on chakra. Hiashi was deep in thought. Neji had seen the girl fight and could possibly train Hinata to make the fight look serious. _"With Hinata disgraced in battle, I could remove the curse mark from Neji and declare him my heir. Should I do it before and allow him to fight, he may be disgraced in the process."_ Hiashi regained his uncaring look of disdain. "I accept."

There were nods from the rest of the council. "Good." Tsunade grinned. "Now, I suggest we allow the council to return to more important things."

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Naruto sat on Myra's couch next to Gaara. They were going to watch a movie that Sephie had put on for them. Sephie was currently making popcorn in the kitchen. It had been four hours since Myra had stomped off to parts unknown and Naruto was getting more fidgety than normal.

"Should I ask Ms. Sephie to try calling her again?" Gaara asked.

Naruto kept silent. The first hour he had been fine. The second hour Myra's father had returned from the Hokage's office and treated them to lunch. Naruto had been distracted by his love of ramen to worry about Myra. By the third hour, Sephie started to seem concerned with Myra's absence, which in turn made Naruto more anxious. He had actually stopped eating by his third bowl of ramen. Gaara had commented to Sephie that "He had it bad."

Now they were in Myra's apartment. It was the best place for them to wait according to Rai. He was going to go deal with the Hyuuga bastard and the council. The Ravenheart elder seemed concerned about Myra, but Sephie had explained Myra's absence.

Sephie put the large bowl of popcorn on the table and took a seat next to the blushing Kazekage. Naruto really wasn't paying attention; he was to agitated to notice that his normally unemotional friend was acting peculiar. The movie started and they watched. They hadn't made it past the opening credits when Sephie's cell phone began to buzz. Naruto and Gaara turned to Sephie who was frantically pulling her cell phone from her pocket.

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Myra was slipping her cell phone back in her pocket as she entered the Konoha hospital. She could easily heal her own hand, but she had other motives as to why she was at the hospital. Myra stepped up to the desk to be greeted by a platinum blonde with grey eyes.

Ino blinked up at Myra. "Can I help you?

"Yes, I need medical attention for a minor electrical burn." Myra held up her chard right hand. The burn was superficial, but it still looked like it hurt.

"Oh, that does look nasty. Training accident?" Ino started to fill out some paperwork.

"Yeah, I should stay away from volatile stuff when I'm practicing." Myra smiled.

Ino gave her a suspect look. Myra wasn't very good at flat out lying. Ino went back to her paperwork. "Name?"

"Myra Ravenheart." Myra flinched in mock pain.

Ino looked up at Myra again, this time it was in shock. "I thought you were trained in medical Ninjutsu?"

"I am." Myra smiled. "But I have two things going against me. One, I don't do burns very well and two, I suck with my left hand." The Raventheart girl kept her grin. It was another obvious lie.

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Ok… Follow me." Ino got up and took Myra into a sterile looking room. It looked like the typical hospital exam room. Myra sat up on the exam table and held out her hand.

"I'm Ino. I've heard a lot about you." Ino smiled.

This time Myra raised an eyebrow. "Really? Good or bad?"

Ino's hand started to glow a misty green color. "It all depends on who I hear it from. According to Shikamaru, you're another troublesome woman. I wouldn't worry about it though, he thinks that way about all women. Sakura says you are very nice, but had an odd sense of humor. But the one thing I am DYING to know, is it true you are dating Naruto?" Ino looked at Myra with strange interest.

Myra tilted her head in confusion. "I guess you could say we are dating. We've only been on one "date" so to speak."

"I know, I hear all about it from Temari." Ino's eyes sparkled. Myra shook her head. Her hand was feeling a lot better. Now it was time to do what she really came to do. Myra took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The sound of the door opening caused Myra to look up. Sakura was standing next to Ino.

"Myra? What are you doing here?" The pink haired girl looked concerned.

Myra let the Sharingan activation fade and looked at Sakura. "Oh, just burnt myself while I was letting off some steam earlier today. Ino is taking care of it."

Sakura was looking over Ino's progress. "Ino, Choji is here. You want me to take over?"

Ino perked up. "Do you mind? I would really appreciate it."

Sakura smiled. "No problem, I need to talk to Myra-chan anyway." Sakura took Myra's hand and started to squeeze. Myra's eyes started to pop out of her skull, but she didn't make a sound.

Ino bounced happily out of the room. Before Sakura dropped her smile and turned back to Myra furiously. "Why didn't you just heal this yourself?"

"OW!" Myra jerked her hand away from Sakura. "Because I suck at burns." Myra lied again.

Sakura grabbed Myra's hand and looked over the burn. "This is an electrical burn. You play with lightning for fun, so I find it hard to believe you can't heal a small burn like this." Green eyes bore down on Myra.

"IF, I tell you, will you SWEAR not to tell ANYONE?" Myra looked at Sakura with a little bit of fear in her eyes. Myra had made a promise, but she needed someone else to know. Myra also needed access to the medical data banks to confirm her theory. "You can't tell ANYONE, not Naruto, not Kakashi, not Tsunade, not anyone." Myra sounded serious and looked just as serious.

"I don't know Myra-chan. If it's something that could get someone hurt…" Myra cut Sakura off.

"When the truth comes out I am sure I am going to get yelled at A LOT, but the point is I need time and I need help. I'm going to be able to do this alone. Please Sakura, swear to me that you won't say anything and I will let you help me." Myra pouted.

"All right. You have my word I won't say anything to anyone." Sakura smiled.

Myra took a deep breath. "I need to look at my medical records from the time I was here and I need to look at Sasuke's."

Sakura jumped at the mention of Sasuke's name. "Is that all? You could have requested that from Tsunade."

"I know I could have, but if what I think is true, I don't need everyone knowing just yet. I need time and if everyone knows my little secret, I won't get the time I need." Myra pleaded. "My records, Sauke's records… Please Sakura. I don't have a whole lot of time right now. Naruto, Gaara and Sephie are on their way to the hospital."

Sakura sighed. "How do you…"

"I know I keep saying this, but no time." Myra hopped up of the exam table.

"All right. Follow me." The pink haired girl opened the door and took Myra down a stretch of hallway leading to the archives room. There were a mass of files as far as the eye could see and a computer off to one side. Sakura sat down at the computer and brought up Sasuke's records and Myra's records. Myra was hovering over Sakura's shoulder reading intently.

"Ok, now if you can, pull up Sasuke's chakra signature." Myra stared at the computer.

"His what?" Sakura turned to Myra.

"Everyone has one. Chakra is energy and energy can be measured as a wave length. Medical equipment can monitor and record this wave length. As far as I know, no two people have the same wavelength. No matter how a person tries to mask their chakra or transform, the chakra signature will stay the same. It's like DNA to some extent.

"However, in cases of identical twins, the chakra signature can be the same, but it's rare. Even more obscure is fraternal twins with the same chakra signature. If what I believe is true, we will find the only know case of two people with the same chakra signature that were born into different families." Myra was reading Sasuke's chart.

Sakura nodded. "I don't understand."

"You will in a second." Myra pointed to the screen. "There… That reading right there, that's the one we're looking for. Now take that same reading from my chart and over lay them on the screen."

Sakura did as she was asked. A few clicks later there was an audible gasp from Sakura. The two wave lengths were identical. Myra looked at the screen and grinned. "Chakra twins, I didn't think it was possible, but there it is plain as day." Myra started to pace and chew on her bottom lip. "That explains a lot."

Sakura clicked away furiously and deleted the information they had just discovered. "Now tell me why this is so important you don't want me to tell anyone."

Myra took a deep breath. "Because if Lady Tsunade or my father finds out, the will force me tell them where Sasuke is."

Sakura gasped again and tears started to leak from her eyes. "You already know where he is."

Myra hung her head. "Yes." She answered with a hint of guilt in her voice.

"Tell me where he is." Sakura pleaded. Myra felt the swell of emotion from Sakura. The want to find her friend, the desire to beat him senseless, and the love she had been suppressing all this time.

"I could tell you. I did make a promise that I wouldn't tell Naruto I could find Sasuke." Myra stepped back and prepared herself for Sakura's attack.

"YOU'VE TALKED TO HIM?" Sakura was furious.

"Who do you think gave me the burn on my hand?" Myra answered with a chuckle in her voice. "His Chidori bolt is a bitch."

Sakura didn't know how to respond. Anger welled up inside Sakura. Myra knew where Sasuke was. She could find him. Years of searching could come to an end and the answer was standing right in front of Sakura.

"Why? Why won't you let anyone know where he is?" Sakura started to cry.

Myra took a deep breath and moved closer to Sakura. "It's complicated. I know he wants to come back." Myra smiled. "And I know he wants to see Naruto. And you most of all. But he isn't ready to come back yet. There is a darkness that still surrounds him. I am not the one that has to bring him back into the light. I am just the one that has to flip the switch to turn the light on." Myra sighed.

"I want him to come home." Sakura sobbed.

"I know you do and I know Naruto does too. But it can't happen just yet. I have to get Sasuke to realize he needs the two of you. Sasuke still thinks he has to do everything alone." Myra knelt down so she was eyelevel with Sakura sitting in the chair. "I have to ask you this because it's important. Do you think you can keep this secret?"

Sakura looked up at Myra. "I… I don't know."

"I need to know, because if you don't think you can, I can take it away from you. I don't want you to suffer over the next few months, knowing that I could find Sasuke at any given moment." Myra looked at Sakura sadly.

Sakura sighed and thought about what Myra meant. She would be tempted to tell Naruto. She would be tempted to take Myra and go find Sasuke herself with out Naruto or anyone else for that matter. Sakura also knew that if she did go hunting for Sasuke while Sasuke didn't want to be found, it would only push him away farther. Sakura embraced Myra and sobbed for a few moments.

"I want him to come home so badly, but you're right if anyone should find out you can find him, they will force you to find him." Sakura let go of Myra. "Even me." Sakura looked very sad.

"I can leave you with the feeling that he is safe where he is right now. That should give you some comfort." Myra frowned.

"Thank you." Sakura sat up straight in the chair and shut her eyes. "What do I have to do?" The pink haired girl heard Myra take a deep breath.

"Relax and open your eyes." Myra said softly. Sakura opened her eyes and stared directly at Myra's red sharingan. "And by the way Sakura… He loves you."

A slim smile crossed Sakura's face before she fell unconscious. Myra caught Sakura and hugged her. "He will come back, I promise."


	39. Friendly Training Exercise

Chapter 39:

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I STILL do not own Naruto (sad isn't it). Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 39: Friendly Training Exercise

"You're going to be working with Gai and Lee to improve your taijutsu." Rai's words echoed in Myra's head while she trudged towards the bridge. She had left Naruto sleeping in bed and Sephie sleeping on the couch back at her apartment. Myra's father was slightly upset with her poor performance at the test match a few days ago, but he was even more upset by Myra's disappearing act.

Myra knew the early morning was more punishment than anything else. The Ravenheart girl hated early mornings. "Evil day star" she grumbled and rubbed at her eyes.

Naruto had tried to coax her in to telling him where she went. "Letting off some steam" was the only answer he or anyone could get out of Myra. The Ravenheart girl yawned as she got to the bridge. She was a few minutes early so she dropped her heavy back pack, leaned against a post and closed her eyes.

The moment Might Gai got close enough to be within range of Myra's senses, it was like cheesy 70's disco music started playing in her head. She calmly opened her eyes to see the Green Beast. Myra shook her head.

"You must be the Captain's daughter Myra." He had a large toothy grin on his face.

She looked at him indifferently. Myra was not amused by her "punishment" for leaving the village, but she was going to get it over as quickly as possible. "And you're Might Gai. Nice to meet you." She picked up her bag. "Let's get this over with."

"Myra, you must be enthusiastic about life and take this training seriously." Gai struck an odd pose.

Myra raised an eyebrow. "Oh I will take it seriously in about two or three hours when I'm fully awake and getting ready to take my nap."

"Maybe a run with help you clear your head of the morning cobwebs." Gai gave her another toothy smile.

Myra sighed. "With or with out gear?" She smirked.

Gai blinked. "Five hundred laps with gear."

Myra smirked. "Sucker…" she muttered under her breath and put her back pack on. Myra was about to take off running when a hand grabbed her shoulder. The one and only person that could sneak up on her had put his hand on her shoulder.

Rai's voice boomed. "NO LAPS! You do NOT need to work on your speed." Rai turned to Gai. "Don't let her fool you Gai, we're here to work on her hand to hand. She doesn't need to work on the speed."

Myra scrunched up her face and crossed her arms. "You're no fun." She groused.

They walked to the training ground where Lee was waiting. Lee came bounding toward them. "Gai-sensei, Myra-san, and" Lee looked at Rai. "Ravenheart-san." Lee's eyes went wide; then he bowed very low. "I am honored to meet the man that trained Gai-sensei."

Rai chuckled. "Lee, it is good to meet you finally. I have heard so much about you. But I am not here to trade stories at the moment. I am here to observe." He turned his gaze to Myra. "And keep Myra from slipping away."

Myra rolled her eyes and dropped her bag. "Let's do this. I would like to take a nap later."

Gai smiled. "I am glad to see you are more enthusiastic about hard work. Maybe we should start with something simple."

Myra crossed her arms. "Ok, like what?"

Gai glanced over to Rai.

The Ravenheart elder smiled and shook his head. "Start with the basics and work your way up. That should give you an idea on what she needs to work on."

Gai nodded. "Ok Lee… Start with the basics."

Myra rolled her eyes again and dropped her arms. "Right… The basics." Myra walked to the middle of the field. "Come on Gumby." She took her stance.

Lee grinned at Gai and saluted. "Yosh!"

Rai and Gai watched as the two started to spar. Lee was a flurry of punches, spins and kicks. Myra blocked and evaded, but never attacked Lee.

"Stop!" Gai held up his hand. The two stopped. Myra walked to her bag with her nose in the air. Lee just stayed in the middle of the field. Gai turned his back on the two students to speak with Rai.

"She is amazingly graceful in her movements and can keep up with Lee, but she has not taken the offensive." Gai crossed his arms and had his chin in his hand in contemplation.

"This isn't like her. I have always noticed that she doesn't like to be aggressive, but this is ridiculous." Rai looked over at Myra who was messing with her cell phone. The Ravenheart elder walked over to his daughter and crouched down next to her.

"What is wrong with you?" Rai asked her.

"Nothing, why?" She looked up are her father.

"Because you won't take the offensive." Rai scowled at her.

Myra finished the text message on her phone and dropped it back into her bag. She looked up at her father and glared right back at him. "This was your idea, not mine. I am here because I was TOLD to be here. No one said I had to cooperate."

"When are you going to get it though that thick skull that this is part of who you are?"

Myra turned away from her father. "When are you going to understand that who I am isn't who you want me to be."

"I want you to aspire to be something more. More importantly I want you to at least show some respect. Lee isn't some kid off the street. He can take what you can dish out."

Myra turned back to her father. "Are you sure? He's a little slow and tends to favor his left side."

Gai's eyes went wide with shock. "How did…"

Myra turned her glare to Gai. "This is the second time I've spared with Gumby. I have a tendency to notice those things." Myra turned back to her father. "You want me to get serious?"

"Yes." Rai tone was firm.

"Fine…" Myra angrily stalked back to the middle of the field where Lee was standing. "Take off those stupid leg weights. They slow you down and they hurt my wrists. By the way, don't hold back, because I'm not going to either."

Lee looked back at Gai for approval. Gai nervously gave Lee the "thumbs up". Lee dropped the weights with a loud thud. The green clad boy looked back at Myra standing in the middle of the field with her head down. He walked slowly towards her. The morning had been warm and the sun was shining brightly. But as Lee approached the middle of the field the temperature started to drop significantly.

The young taijutsu master raised his trade mark eyebrows in shock. Lee could feel a distinct element of darkness surround the normally happy and cheerful girl. The air was turning icy and cold.

Myra raised her head to glare at Lee. His jaw dropped. It was like looking at a completely different person. Myra's normal bright color was gone and she had washed herself of all emotion. Her eyes had gone cold and heartless. Myra allowed the darkness to take over for the moment, and she hated it. Lee took a step back. He had seen that empty stare before. Sasuke had it, Kimimaru had it, and now Myra had it too. Myra stared through him with cold distant eyes. "I'm sorry Lee." Was the last thing she said before she attacked him.

It was faster than Lee had expected. He was flying a few feet back before he could react and catch sight of Myra coming around for another punch. Lee managed to block her punch, but did not anticipate her kick to his side. He wasn't prepared for the complete change in her fighting style. Myra was using her speed and flexibility against him. What was worse, she was intentionally attacking his left side.

Lee was thrown back a feet by a quick palm to his chest. She was hitting A LOT harder than before as well. Lee regained his composure and darted after her. They met head on in an all out fight.

Gai stood in awe of his student and Myra. It was bringing tears to his eyes. Rai was simply smirking. He knew what Myra was capable of and knew she was anything but rudimentary and sloppy. Lee grabbed Myra's ankle and spun her around tossing her back a few feet. She gracefully twisted her body to land on her feet, to be met with another barrage of blows from Lee.

There was a large plum of smoke that gathered around the fighting shinobi. Gai became nervous when he lost sight of his precious student. When the dust cleared, Lee had Myra from behind in a choke hold. There was no expression of any kind on her face. Rai felt the charge in the air and could smell the Ozone. "MYRA NO!"

But it was too late. The white hot electricity coursed through Lee and threw him back ten meters. Myra stood stock still and didn't move. Gai rushed to Lee. The older man cradled Lee's unconscious form. "What did you do?"

Myra's expression did not change. "I got him off of me." Her tone was icy and distant.

Rai walked over to Myra and loomed over her. "That was unnecessary."

The girl looked up at her father with an uncaring stare. "Was it?"

"This was a friendly training exercise, so yes, it was uncalled for."

"I beg to differ. You wanted me to "get serious", so I did. Now you want chastise me for doing what you wanted?" Myra started to steady her breath.

She was right. Rai had asked her to take this spar seriously and she had, _maybe a little too seriously_ He thought. She had to prepare for the up coming match with a Hyuuga. Which Hyuuga she was going to fight against had yet to be determined, but it would still be a challenge. Myra closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She let go of the dark place she went when she would fight an enemy. Feelings started to come back to her as did her color and emotions.

Myra turned to Gai and the unconscious Lee. Tears started to well up behind her eyes, but she pushed them back. She walked over to Lee, her hands glowing a deep purple color. Myra knelt down and placed her hands over his chest.

She smiled sadly Gai. "This should only take a few minutes and he will be bouncing around again."


	40. Waking up

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warning: I do not own Naruto (Damn). Rated "M" for language and Adult Situations.

Secondary Warning: There is lots of Citrus ahead. You have been warned.

Chapter 40: Waking up

Myra unlocked her door and opened it slowly. Sephie was sitting on the couch flipping channels on the TV. Sephie looked at the clock in the kitchen.

"You're back earlier than I expected." Sephie grinned.

"Well there was a complication with my practice dummy. It seems he's highly allergic to electricity." Myra dropped her bag by the door. Shephie stared at Myra.

"Aren't most people allergic to electricity?" Sephie raised an eyebrow. The blonde girl still wasn't used to all the ninja jokes.

Myra let out a snort. "Some more than others, but for the most part, yes, they are. Is Naruto up yet?"

"He hasn't moved since you left." Sephie sipped at something liquid in her mug.

Myra sniffed the air. "When did I get coffee?"

Sephie smiled. "I went and did a little shopping like you asked. Your pantry and refrigerator have been stocked and the coffee should still be hot."

"I love you." Myra sank into the couch next to Sephie and stole her coffee mug.

Sephie took her mug back and scowled at Myra. "Go get your own! There's plenty left."

Myra stuck her tounge out at Sephie and got off the couch. Naruto stirred with the sound of Myra's voice coming from the other room. He blinked his eyes open. The clock on the bedside table screamed 11:23 AM. It had been a long time since gotten to sleep in that long. Naruto pulled on a pair of boxers and was about to open the door when;

"Sephie, what do you think about Naruto?" She called from the kitchen.

"_FINALLY!"_ Naruto stood at the door and listened.

"_**I told you this could be entertaining."**_ The Fox yawned.

"_SHHHH! I can't hear them if you keep interrupting."_

Sephie shook her head. "If you want an objective opinion I can't give you one. It isn't like I can pull him aside and talk to him. There is this language barrier that I haven't been able to crack. I catch every other word. I should have helped you study more when you were brushing up your language skills." Sephie sipped at her coffee.

"Ok…" Myra sipped at her own mug. "What about your first impression?"

Sephie sighed. "I have several. One: He is incredible hot and doesn't seem to notice. 'Course from what I have seen of the guys around this little hamlet, most of them are seriously hot and don't know it."

Myra looked over her mug and smiled as she took a sip. "Honestly, I wouldn't kick any of them out of bed."

Sephie smiled. "Ha! I knew it."

Naruto looked away from the door and clenched his fist. A deep rumble came from his chest and he was growling. "_I have competition!"_

"_**Don't be so hasty Brat. You look at other women and think the same things."**_ The Fox chuckled.

"_No… You think those things you perverted old Demon!"_

"Yes, yes I like to look. I'm a living, breathing, warm blooded woman. I can walk into an art museum and look at the art, but no touchy!" Myra chuckled.

"_**See, it isn't as bad as you think it is. We have her all to ourselves."**_ The Fox grinned.

"_You mean I HAVE HER all to MYSELF."_ Naruto grumbled and went back to listening.

"_**Semantics Brat. As long as we both share this weak human body, WE share everything. Or must I remind you again?"**_ Deep laughter came from the Fox.

"_No… Now shut up."_

Sephie shook her head again. "Anyway… Two:" Sephie continued. "Naruto as he is around people is a mask. I guarantee you there is something about his past that makes him that way. He wants to be the center of attention. It's like he searching for some kind of recognition."

"_**Wow, she has you pegged."**_ The Fox snickered.

"_SHUT UP!"_ Naruto was getting angry with the Fox.

Myra glanced at the bedroom door. She could sense Naruto's anger rising. She knew he was awake, but couldn't understand the anger. Sephie noticed Myra staring at the bedroom door.

"Myra?" Sephie tilted her head.

Myra came out of her thoughts and looked back at Sephie. "Continue, please."

Sephie gave Myra a sideways glance. "Three: He is extremely possessive of you. He hasn't started glaring at other men that look at you… Yet. He is too busy watching you. But it is something that you may want to watch out for."

"_Well, she's MY RABBIT! I don't want to loose her."_ Naruto looked solemn.

"_**HA! It still amazes me how little you know about women."**_

"_Like you know any better."_ Naruto sneared.

The Fox got dangerously quiet for a moment. _**"I know more about women than you could possibly fathom."**_

Naruto saw an opening to torment the Fox for a change. _"You actually know something about women? Does it go beyond having sex with them and tearing them apart?"_

The Fox roared. _**"DON'T PUSH ME BRAT!"**_

A smug smirk crossed Naruto's lips. _"I can push all I want. Your stuck with me, remember? Or do I have to remind you?"_

The Fox growled, but then stopped. _**"I did know what it was to love once."**_ The mental door slammed. Naruto blinked. He wasn't sure what to say after that. Not that it mattered really. Naruto went back to listening to the conversation.

Myra stared at the swirling contents of her mug. "I've noticed the possessive tendencies. It's all a bit new to both of us."

"That's the other thing. I am very glad to see you happy. Please do not misunderstand me. But don't you think it's all a bit sudden?" Sephie queried.

"Once again, my dear Persephone, your ability to read people amazes me. Are you sure you're normal?" Myra smirked.

"You're avoiding the question? I have to put some of those "Intro to Psych" classes to good use."

Myra concentrated on her mug. "Yeah, it is a bit sudden. I didn't expect it either. It just kind of happened. I met him the first morning I was here. I can't really explain what happened. It was like finding a piece of my soul that had been missing for so long." Myra let out a long sigh. She was leaning up against the door jam of the kitchen.

Naruto wanted to jump out the door right then and hug Myra forever, but he would wait. She had to come into the bedroom eventually. Myra glanced at the door to the bedroom again. She knew he was awake and listening.

Sephie tilted her head. "I guess I can understand that. But it's still so weird."

"Seph, you have no idea how weird it truly is." Myra downed the rest of her coffee. She set the coffee mug in the sink and returned to the living room. Myra walked over to Sephie and whispered. "I'm going to go wake him up."

Sephie grinned. "It's all good. I need to leave here in a few minutes. I'm meeting Gaara for lunch."

"And you lectured me about things being… Sudden." Myra raised an eyebrow.

Sephie shrugged. "We just talk a lot. Well, I talk and he listens. He's really got an interesting sense of humor."

"Uh huh… And Gaara being dark, mysterious, brooding and a red head has nothing to do with it?" Myra crossed her arms accusingly.

Sephie closed her eyes, stuck her nose in the air and turned her head away from Myra. "It has nothing to do with anything." There was a pause. Myra tapped her foot and kept her eyebrow raised.

Sephie turned to look at Myra and winked. "But it helps A LOT." The blonde girl giggled.

Myra let out a long sigh. "You are incorrigible." Myra walked to the bedroom door. Sephie just smiled.

Naruto hadn't heard the last few parts of the conversation, but he could hear Myra walking towards the door to the bedroom. He heard her grab the door handle and start to turn. Naruto had to come up with something fast. He jumped back into the bed and covered up. He closed his eyes to fain sleep.

Myra pushed open the door and just smirked. She could tell Naruto was faking, but she didn't want spoil the moment. She stepped in and closed the door behind her, locking it just in case. Naruto was laying spread eagle on the bed and very prone to being pounced on. Myra raised an eyebrow and had a very devious thought.

She walked to the end of the bed and started to undress with her back to the bed. One blue eye squinted up from the bed to watch her undress. Myra glanced back over her shoulder with a smirk. She knew she was being watched. Naruto closed his eye and started to pretend he was asleep again.

Myra, now completely naked, pulled the sheet covering Naruto from the end of the bed and slid under the sheet. She was greeted with the green of his boxers as she crawled up to his chest. Myra raised an eyebrow. _"Well those will have to go."_

Myra grabbed the cuffs of his boxers and in one swift movement pulled them off of him. She discarded them on the floor at the end of the bed. Naruto didn't move when Myra pressed her ample bosom into his crotch. Myra smirked, she was going to find out just how long he could fake being asleep. She pulled her knees under her and began to place gentle kisses on his stomach. She traced her hands down his sides, causing his whole body to tense; then relax.

Naruto kept his eyes closed and let out a long breath. Myra could feel his dick growing beneath her breasts. She moved her hands to the insides of his thighs and scooted back a few inches. She placed butterfly kisses on the base of his manhood and worked her way to the tip.

She swirled the tip several times with her tongue before taking him in her hands. Using her tongue she lathered his shaft to make him slick. Naruto bit into his bottom lip to keep from making any noise. With one motion she swallowed him whole. The blonde was doing everything he could to avoid coming at that very moment. Every touch was electric, every sensation made him want her more. His need for her was driving him to the very brink.

Naruto clenched the sheets below him, but he didn't open his eyes. Myra started to bob her head up and down slowly, pressing the tip of her tongue along the vain as she went. She increased her rhythm and used her hand for extra pressure.

His hips bucked in rhythm with her. She felt him swell and with a final grunt Naruto let himself go. Myra undulated her tongue with each after shock of his orgasm. Moments later when Naruto started to twitch with each pass of her tongue, she let him go. She crawled up and curled next to him, laying her head on his chest.

Naruto's eyes were still closed and he was breathing heavily. Myra glared menacingly at him and started to drum her fingers on his chest. "I highly doubt you're still asleep."

The blonde rolled over so he was on top of her. He opened his eyes and gave her a foxy grin.

"Good afternoon." She giggled

Naruot leaned down and kissed her deeply. Myra wrapped her arms around him. They came up for air and locked gazes. Rich chocolate brown dived into the pools of crystalline blue, neither wanting to turn away.

"I never want to wake up without you." He said breathlessly and buried his head in her shoulder, kissing gently.

Myra's hands wandered over his back. "I love you too." A small thought reminded her. _"And what happens when I go home?"_ Naruto felt her go cold.

He stopped and sat up, looking at her with concern. "Rabbit? You ok?"

Myra let go of the reminder and regained her warmth. "Nothing I have to worry about now." She gave him a reassuring smile.

Naruto kissed her again, sliding his tongue across her bottom lip. Myra responded and deepened the kiss, tasting each other. His hand made its way to her breast, cupping it firmly. Myra's breath caught in her throat letting out a soft moan.

The blonde started to trail kisses down her jaw line to her neck. He reached the crook of her neck and had an overwhelming desire to bite down hard.

"_**Yes… Make her OURS again."**_ It was a faint whisper from the Fox, but the thought echoed in Naruto's mind.

He focused on the Fox. _"Again?"_ Naruto pulled back and stopped. Myra blinked out of her euphoria and looked at Naruto. He was making that face he made when he was having a conversation with the Fox.

"What the HELL does he want?" Myra snorted.

The Fox was silent. Naruto was tired of the run around he was getting. He wanted to get to the bottom of this bullshit. _"Like she said. What the HELL?"_

Eerie silence came from the great demon beast. Naruto looked back at Myra and shook his head.

"Screw him then…" Myra smirked. "Where were we?" She raked her nails up Naruto's sides.

Naurto shuttered. "Ooooh. God what you do to me."

"Well then… Show me." She said huskily.

Naruto's lips crashed on to hers. Passion and heat exploded from every pore. Naruto brought his knee between her legs and felt how wet Myra was. Just the thought of her being that excited made him hard. Myra let out a moan into his mouth. He used his other knee to spread her legs wider.

Naruto went back to his original thoughts before the Fox interrupted, but this time he stayed away from the crook of her neck. He trailed his kissed from her chin down the valley of her breasts. Naruto cupped one a little more firmly than before causing Myra to let out a hard breathe and arch her back into his touch.

He growled deeply and sat back on his knees. Naruto ran his hand down her sides, lingering on her hips. He looked at her with a smug grin. He positioned himself so the tip of his cock brushed wet folds. Myra let out a short grunt of anticipation and chewed her bottom lip. Naruto watched as her nipples hardened and she raised her hips sliding his length against her.

Naruto's grin got wider as he realized that he had done this to her. He had turned her into a wanton quivering mass and she was all his. Naruto slid his cock against her wetness once more before he grabbed her hips and thrust deep into her. Myra let out a grunt of pleasure and gripped the sheets.

For the first few moments Naruto would pull out almost all the way and slid back in, reveling in how good she felt. He started to pick up speed and leaned forward to kiss her. Tongue wrapped around tongue in an elegant dance of taste. Myra wrapped her arms around him allowing her access to his back.

Naruto scooped his arms around her back and pulled her up so they were both sitting up and vertical, his rhythm never wavering. He kept his arms around the small of her back to keep her upright. Myra felt her body start to quiver as the energy built. He suckled each breast in turn, lightly massaging the other while his lips were busy. She buried her head into his neck and started to nip.

The thin layer of sweat they both had worked up was now beginning to steam as their bodies heated with the act of passion. Naruto laid her back down and grabbed her hips again and started to pump her furiously. It didn't take long for her breathing to become short and labored. Then in a moment of pure euphoria, Myra let out a moan and her whole body quaked. She clamped down on him like a vice and a few thrusts later, he spilled into her.

He pulled out gingerly and collapsed on top of her. Myra let him lay there, just happy to be close to him. They were both breathing heavily and neither wanted to move. Myra looked over to the clock, knowing they would have to move eventually. Almost if on cue, her phone started to ring, and there was a knock at her door.

A muffled, "DAMN IT!" came from her chest. Naruto looked up at her pouting.

"It wasn't my idea to promise a bunch of kids to go camping." Myra kissed his forehead.


	41. It's only Lunch

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warning: I do not own Naruto (Damn). Rated "M" for language and Adult Situations.

Chapter 41: It's Only Lunch

Gaara sat at his desk reading over reports from Suna. Everything seemed to be quiet in his village. There was a report regarding a sighting of a member of Akatsuki. After further investigation it was found that it was an imposter. Gaara sighed; there was something about the Chunin Exams that brought out the crazy people.

There was a knock at the study door. "Enter." Gaara continued to read over the scrolls.

Temari entered with a tray. "Good morning Gaara. I brought you some breakfast and some tea." She set the tray down and stood over him scowling.

"Thank you Temari." Gaara knew she was scowling at him and didn't look up from his scroll.

"You were up all night again, weren't you?" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"You ask me that every morning Temari. Do you honestly believe I am going to give you a different answer?" He reached for his tea.

"I thought we came to Konoha so you would talk to Lady Tsunade about finding something that would help you sleep." Temari looked concerned.

Gaara looked up from his scrolls. "We came to Konoha to enjoy the Chunin Exams, spend time with friends, and meet the rest of the Nara family." He sipped his tea again. Temari blushed slightly, but kept her scowl at her younger brother.

Gaara let out another sigh. "I spoke to Lady Tsunade just after the Akatsuki incident a few years ago. There was not much she could do beyond medication and the suggestion of a few sleep jutsu. She said the nightmares and old fears should fade with time."

Temari hung her head guiltily. She loved her younger brother deeply. She had seen Gaara at his best and seen him at his worst. She wanted to see him happy, but most of all, she wanted him to be able to have a restful sleep with out waking from his nightmares.

"Temari?" Gaara snapped her out of her thoughts. "I will ask her again." He gave her a genuine smile. She nodded and turned to leave. Gaara sipped at his tea. "Temari?"

"Yes?" Temari turned.

Gaara stood from his chair and looked out the window. He did not want his sister to see the pink color that was in his cheeks. "Where does Shikamaru-san take you for lunch?"

The blonde Sand ninja became annoyed. She put her hands on her hips. "You may be Kazekage Gaara, but what Shika-kun and I do…"

Gaara took a deep breath before he interrupted her. "What you and Shikamaru-san do is none of my business. I merely asked where you and he prefer to eat lunch."

Temari blinked. "Oh…" She relaxed. "Well, there is a nice restaurant on the west side of Konoha that serves just about everything." She stared at him curiously.

"I'm looking for something quiet and out of the way." Gaara crossed his arms and stared at the Hokage monument.

"Quiet and out of the way?" Temari raised an eyebrow. "Who is she? Is she from Konoha? Do I know her? Does she come from a good ninja family?" She asked with enthusiasm.

Gaara turned and glared at Temari. The older Sand sibling jumped slightly at his glare. "I'm sorry Gaara."

Gaara relaxed his glare and turned back to the window. "It is alright Temari. It is only lunch."

Temari smiled. "Ok… It's only lunch." She turned to go out the door. Kankuro stood with his ear pressed to the wall. When he saw Temari he straightened up acting like he was just passing in the hall way.

The eldest Sand sibling eyed Kankuro. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." He lied.

The blonde grabbed her brother and dragged him rather violently to the living area. She finally let him go.

"OW! What the hell did you do that for?" Kankuro yelled at her.

"Shh! Not so loud." Temari looked back at the hall way. "What do you know about the mystery date?"

"About as much as you do." Kankuro stuck his hands in his pockets. "Go ask Naruto or Myra-san. They may know. Gaara's been around them a lot lately." He started to walk off.

Temari grabbed his arm. "You don't think it could be the Ravenheart girl?" Temari said hopefully.

Kankuro's eye twitched. "Weren't you the one that told me that Shikamaru interrupted Naruto and Myra-san before the reception the other night?"

The blonde girl pouted momentarily; then she put her hand on her chin in contemplation. "I forgot about that." A few more moments of deep contemplation and Temari got an evil smirk on her face.

"What are you plotting?" Kankuro squinted at his sister.

"Hmm. Just a little recon mission." She walked to her room. "I think I will make Shikamaru take me to lunch today." Temari smiled deviously shutting her door behind her.

Kankuro looked worried. _"This could be bad, but fun to watch."_

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Sephie had left the apartment a few minutes early to allow Myra and Naruto some "quality" time with each other. She had come to Konoha to keep Myra from going completely insane. Sephie had expected Myra to have locked herself in a room somewhere, only coming out when she was forced. To find Myra happy, hunky, dory and attached at the hip to Naruto had shocked the blonde girl more than anyone but Myra could understand.

Sephie had been there before Dante and after Dante. It was a complete one hundred and eighty degree flip in Myra's personality. There wasn't an ode of doom surrounding Myra anymore and that was a good thing. "_Wasn't it?"_

Sephie got to the bottom of the stairs of the apartment building. She couldn't remember which way the dojo was from the apartment building. The dojo was where Gaara had asked her to meet him before they went to lunch. Sephie looked both ways, trying to remember which way she needed to go. She reached deep into a pocket and pulled out a coin. "Heads I go right, tails I go left." She flipped the coin into the air and caught it slapping it to the back of her hand.

"That is a very diplomatic way of choosing a direction." Gaara blinked at her. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, loose black pants, and his sandals.

Sephie turned and smiled at him. "Oh… Hello Gaara. Am I late… Or are you early?" She frowned. Sephie had let her hair down, but had pulled back her bangs with a few barrettes. She was wearing a royal blue t-shirt, a blue jean skirt, and blue flip flops.

"I suppose you could say I am early. I did not mean to startle you." He put his head down.

Sephie giggled. "I'm glad you're early, because I would have been very late getting to that dojo thing. I have no clue where it is."

Gaara stepped closer to her. "I thought it best I come here first. I wanted to ask Myra-san a question before we went to lunch."

Sephie started to laugh. "I think it would be better if you waited until AFTER lunch to ask her. She is a tad busy at the moment."

Gaara raised an eyebrow. "Is she still training?"

Sephie nodded her head side to side for a moment. "Define training."

"To prepare oneself with a physical regiment and to learn, practice and master one's skills."

Sephie had to compute that definition for a moment before she answered. "Yes. She is training with Naruto."

"That would be interesting to watch." He blinked.

Sephie burst in to hysterical laughter and doubled over. Gaara was perplexed by this reaction, stepping closer to the laughing girl. The blonde girl stood up taking a deep breath and looked back over at Gaara. She burst into another fit of hysterical giggles.

"Training is no laughing matter, Ms. Persephone. It is something a shinobi must do to perfect the skills we are taught." He tried to explain.

Sephie took another deep breath and put a hand on Gaara's shoulder to steady herself. She looked at him with a huge smile and then she blushed. "I don't want to watch. I don't even want to know what they're doing. I just think I will stay out of the apartment for a couple of hours and leave them alone."

Gaara finally understood what Sephie was talking about and shook his head. "I see. Then it is best to wait."

Sephie straightened up and smoothed out her t-shirt. "So where are we going for lunch?"

"Temari suggested a restaurant on the west side of the village. I thought we might go there." They started to walk.

The blonde girl put her hands behind back and walked silently a step behind Gaara. There was an odd silence that built between them as they walked. Sephie was a little nervous about being asked to lunch by the stoic red head, but since he was the only one that could translate for her, besides Myra, she was stuck with him for the time being. However, she felt happily stuck.

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"Are you coming, you lazy oaf?" Temari stood at his door waiting.

"You are a troublesome woman, now explain to me why you woke me up on my day off?" Shikamaru yawned.

"I believe you owe me lunch." Temari smiled.

"I don't remember owing you lunch." Shikamaru let his eyes focus on Temari. She wasn't wearing her normal black kimono. In fact, she looked good. Of course Temari always looked good to Shikamaru, but today was a little different. Temari was wearing a lavender blouse, a knee length black skirt, and she didn't have her fan with her. "Are you asking me out on a date?" He questioned her.

She smiled coyly. "I guess I am. Wouldn't it be nice to go somewhere, unofficially?"

Shikamaru scowled. "What are you plotting?"

"Must I be plotting something to want to go to lunch with my boyfriend?" She batted her eyelashes.

"Under normal circumstances, no, but you are being way too troublesome for this to be a "normal" circumstance."

Temari turned beet red with anger. "Fine! I will go to lunch by myself. LAZY OAF!" The blonde sand ninja stormed off leaving a perplexed Shikamaru blinking in his doorway.

Shikamaru sighed heavily mumbling "troublesome" under his breath. "Hold on Temari, I'll take you to lunch, just let me get dressed."

Temari stopped in mid step turning to Shikamaru with a huge grin. "Thank you Shikamaru."

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A/N: Sorry it took so long for the update. Life has been pretty weird lately. I have the next chapter in the works and its going to be fun. Or at least I hope it will. Meanwhile, thanks to all that do review, and to those that read and don't review… Well, take the time and at least let me know you want to read more. Until next time… I shall give you a preview of what is to come.

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"Sasuke, it will work." Myra glared at him.

"You're crazy."

"We've established that already." Myra smirked.

"You're seriously expecting me to hold a transformation jutsu in a fight?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Myra.

"Yes." She said matter of fact.

Sasuke threw up his arms in exasperation. "You're crazier than Naruto!"

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Stay tuned for more!


	42. Sibling Disaster

_A/N: Hello everyone. Sorry it took so log for the update. I had a convention to go to, a death in the family, and I got strep throat all within a few weeks of each other. Add to that I am taking on a writing job that is going to PAY money and needless to say I have been really busy. I'm not going to let this story fizzle. I'm still going to continue writing it because it's just too damn fun to write. Meanwhile, let the wackiness continue…_

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I STILL do not own Naruto (sad isn't it). Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 42: Sibling Disaster

Temari and Shikamaru arrived at the little bistro on the west side of the village. The blonde sand ninja scanned the area looking for her younger brother, but there was no sign of him.

Shikamaru picked up on his girlfriend's rising temper. "He probably asked you with the intention to go somewhere else."

Temari turned and glared at Shikamaru.

"What? It's what I did to keep Ino out of my business."

Temari continued glare at Shikamaru.

"Temari, I know you just as well as your brothers. You are troublesome and have become overly protective of Gaara. He is the Kazakage, I'm sure he knows what he is doing." Shikamaru shrugged.

"But I want to meet her." Temari finally relaxed her glare and started to pout.

Shikamaru shook his head. "He will introduce her when he thinks you can handle it. Now let's eat, I'm starving."

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Gaara sat on the other side of the table from Sephie. There had never been a time Gaara could remember being truly scared to the point of running. Here he was, face to face with Persephone, and he wanted to run for his life. But he was Sabaku no Gaara, his pride would not allow him to move from his chair.

Sephie was delighted that Gaara had taken her to a restaurant that served food she considered "normal". She happily munched on her cheeseburger, fries, and sipped on her soda. The sounds of Sephie hitting the end of her soda brought Gaara out of his thoughts.

"Would you like some more Ms. Persephone?"

"No thanks." She set down her cup. Sephie looked up to notice Gaara hadn't eaten much and was pushing his fries around. She put her elbows on the table and her head in her hands. "Penney for your thoughts?"

Gaara blinked up at her. "I do not understand the question."

Sephie smiled, "What'cha thinkin' about?"

Gaara blinked again. "I do not think you would be interested in my thoughts."

The blonde girl sat up straight, looking a little shocked. "Sure I am. You sat and listened to my sob story, so it's only fair that I listen to yours."

The stoic Kazakage lowered his eyes to the table. "I… I find myself in a situation I am ill equipped to handle."

Sephie tilted her head, confused, yet curious. "How so?"

"I am not sure how to explain." Gaara admitted. It was true, he wasn't sure what to do, what to say or anything. For a moment Gaara wished he was more like his boisterous blonde friend.

Sephie crossed her arms on the table and leaned towards Gaara, "Start at the beginning."

Gaara looked up at Sephie. It was an easy enough suggestion, but the stoic red head simply didn't know how to respond. Worse, he didn't know where to start. Sephie may not have had the trained senses of a ninja, but she could see that Gaara was trying to tell her something. She needed to get him in a place where he felt more comfortable.

Sephie got up out of her chair and looked at Gaara. Smiling widely at him, she grabbed his hand and started to pull the surprised Kazekage. Gaara momentarily stared at her hand on his. This was the second time they had actually touched. Both times, it was she that had touched him. The first time Sephie had placed her hand on his shoulder to steady her self after laughing.

He had waited for her to flinch, but she hadn't. He passed the moment off by telling himself that she was too busy laughing to notice anything. However, this time, he couldn't pass if aside as an oversight. Sephie wasn't pulling away from him in fear, no, she was pulling him towards her.

Gaara had to think for a moment. Sephie didn't know of his past. She didn't know that he was someone to be feared. Sephie didn't have all the shinobi training to sense his chakra. She was normal and unaware of the shinobi world that circulated around her. Sephie hadn't flinched because she didn't know she was supposed to.

Gaara took her hand and got out of his chair. A true smile crossed his lips which made Sephie giggle.

"It's nice when you do that." They both blushed. "Now, come on, let's take a walk." She pulled Gaara onto the street. Gaara followed, rather dazed by the odd feeling of warmth coursing over him. They walked in silence for a little while, both with an odd smile.

Soon, Sephie noticed they were hopelessly lost in the labyrinth of Konoha. She nudged Gaara. "Do you know where we are?"

Gaara blinked out of his daze. "Um…" He looked around. He had never been in this part of Konoha and was just as lost as she was. "No. I do not know where we are."

"Oh crap…" Sephie pulled out her cell phone and looked back up at Gaara. "I REALLY don't want to have to bug Myra…"

Gaara smiled. "I unfortunately I do not have a way to contact anyone else. We could try and navigate our way out of this."

"That's a good idea." She looked around as did Gaara.

"The buildings are too high for us to see the Hokage Monument." Gaara turned around to Sephie and put a tentative hand around her waist. "Hold on."

Sephie's eyes went extremely wide. "Wait!" Before she could really protest, Gaara had made a few leaps to the top of the buildings. He set her down and went to look at the edge of the building to see where they were.

"I think if we head in that direction, we will safely make it back towards the main streets of Konoha." He turned back around to see Sephie looking very pale. "Ms. Persephone?" he blinked. She looked horrified and had a blank stare. Sephie was breathing heavily and had a death grip around a small pipe.

Sephie turned her head to him and gulped. "Did I mention that I hate heights?"

Gaara stifled a laugh. "Does this mean we can not take the direct root out of the area?"

"If you are talking about hopping over the buildings… You can, but please get me down on the ground before you go." Sephie was fighting back the panic.

Gaara extended his hand to her. "I will not allow you to fall."

Sephie continued to fight back the panic of being so high up in the air. There was something extremely romantic about the idea of hopping across the buildings, but her fear was keeping her glued the pole. Through sheer force of will, she extended her hand to meet his.

"Close your eyes and just hold on. I promise I will not allow you to get hurt. I do not want to have to explain to Myra-san how you were injured." Gaara gave her a slight smile. He wouldn't forgive himself, should she get hurt.

Sephie nodded, letting go of the small pipe and then clutched onto Gaara. He scooped her up and took hold of her bridal style. Sephie clutched his shirt and buried her eyes into his chest. She was trembling in his arms.

"It will be all right Ms. Persephone. I can see the main street and it will only take us a few jumps to get back." He tried to console her. He felt her tense up in his arms and she nodded into his chest signaling that she was ready. Gaara jumped across three roof tops and down to the main street. The whole time, Sephie didn't move or breathe.

Gaara landed near the park and under the tree. He set Sephie down, but she was still very attached to his shirt. "You can let go now." He said softly, although, it felt kind of nice having her there.

Sephie took a deep breath and slowly started to let go of Gaara, but she didn't completely release his shirt. She looked up at him with very teary eyes. "Thank you for not dropping me." She sniffled.

"I told you I would not allow you to fall."

"I was never worried about falling, at least not to my death." She had to qualify. Sephie took another deep breath and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Like I said, thanks for not dropping me." She padded his chest and started to walk away.

Gaara stood, stunned, like a deer in headlamps. More than the kiss that shocked him, was the fact that his sand had not stopped it. The sand did not see her as a threat. He put his hand on his cheek and looked at the petite girl walking away from him.

Sephie turned around to look back at Gaara, who was still a bit perplexed by the whole thing. "Come on silly…" She smiled. "It's getting late and as much as I do NOT want to interrupt Myra and Naturo's," she cleared her throat, "training, I promised her father I would make sure she was packed for the camping trip."

Gaara composed himself and started after her. "You are not going with them?"

"Oh HELL NO! I hate camping. I don't sleep anywhere there isn't solid roof over my head and a place to plug in my hair dryer."

They started to walk back to the apartment and the conversation went silent again. Sephie had tried to get him to open up and talk a little more, but it wasn't working like she had hoped. He was definitely an enigma to her, and it was beginning to frustrate her to no end. He was obviously more introverted than anyone she had ever met. He was going to be a tough nut to crack, but she loved a good challenge.

Gaara was trying to keep the conversation going, but he honestly didn't know what to talk about. The small kiss still lingered on his cheek. He was curious to know more about what it was he was feeling. He had been kissed in the same spot by Temari once, but it hadn't made him feel giddy. Matsuri had tried to hug him once only to be stopped by his sand. Since becoming Kazekage, he had garnered a small following of fangirls that would throw themselves at his feet, but he hadn't paid much attention to any of them. _Why now? Why her? Why at all?_ He thought to himself.

Seeing Myra and Naruto had changed all that. Gaara had admitted to Naruto about being jealous about his relationship with Myra. Granted, Myra was different in so many respects. Persephone was different too, the biggest difference being she was normal and didn't know in the slightest how dangerous the world was around her.

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Lunch between Shikamaru and Temari had gone as expected and as planned. They had both finished a leisurely walk through the park so Shikakamru could waist time and watch the clouds. Temari was still a bit upset about Gaara, but she had also come to realize, though she would never admit it to him, that Shikamaru was right. She was being a little nosy and over protective. If a girl got him one step closer to being happy, she wasn't going to stand in his way.

She would, however, make his life miserable in the process. It was a perfect revenge to get back at Gaara for the abysmal attitude he gave Shikamaru after they confessed about the relationship. While Shikamaru watched the clouds, Temari just allowed her mind to wonder all over the place, thinking about the perfect girl for Gaara.

As they got closer to the main street of Konoha, Temari spotted Gaara leaping down from one of the buildings with a girl in his arms. They landed under a tree. Temari elbowed Shikamaru. "Look over there." And she pointed towards Gaara. Shikamaru yawned and blinked a few times to get his eyes to focus. The little blonde girl was standing very close to Gaara, then it looked like she kissed him. Shikamaru turned his attention back to Temari who looked like she was ready to kill. Temari grabbed shikamaru's hands and started to drag him in the direction of Gaara and the girl.

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Sephie couldn't stand the silence anymore. "Um… Gaara, what are you doing tonight when you get done with all your quasikage stuff?"

"It's Kazekage, and hopefully he will be sleeping." A deep fuming female voice boomed from behind the two. Gaara turned to see a red faced and rather annoyed Temari. Shikamaru had stepped a few feet away from his obviously pissed off girlfriend.

"Good afternoon, Temari. Nice to see you Shikamaru-san." Gaara kept calm.

Sephie looked from Gaara to the tall blonde and back to Gaara. "So is this your sister?"

Gaara nodded. "Ms. Persephone Marshal may I introduce my sister Temari and the man standing back a few feet for fear of his life is Shikamaru Nara."

Sephie smiled and stuck her hand out to Temari. "Nice to meet you."

Temari just glared at Sephie and ignored her. Temari walked passed Sephie and stood eye to eye with Gaara and continued to chastise. "I thought you said it was just lunch?"

"It was just lunch at the time. But it seems I have been invited for a night of watching movies until I pass out from boredom. Or at least that is the way Ms. Persephone described it."

Temari crossed her arms. "I thought you were going to talk with Tsunade? You know, about sleeping."

"I have already spoken with Lady Tsunade. As for what the outcome of that meeting was, it is none of your business until I deem that it should be. In the mean time I am exploring alternative advice given to me by a third party." Gaara glared at his sister. Naruto's words echoed in Gaara's head. _Get yourself a girl and you'll sleep like a baby._

Sephie had walked over to stand next to Shikamaru and was watching the exchange like a tennis match. "Are they always like this?"

Shikamaru didn't need to understand what Sephie had said to know what she asked. He simply nodded his head in the affirmative. "Hai, so desu." Mumbling "troublesome" under his breath.

"Gaara, you need to…"

Gaara raised his voice and cut Temari off. "Temari! ENOUGH!"

Temari backed down and stepped back away from Gaara.

"I will do as I please in this matter, and I will not hear another word about it from you. AM. I. CLEAR?" Gaara glared dangerously at Temari.

"Yes, Gaara-sama." Temari bowed her head and walked back over to Shikamaru, shooting a nasty glare to Sephie.

"Ms. Persephone, I will walk you back to Myra's apartment now." Gaara held out his hand.

Sephie looked back smiling at Temari and Shikamaru. "It was nice meeting you." And ran back over to Gaara.

Shikamaru and Temari watched as the two walked away. "You shouldn't try to be so bossy with him. You are the first person to remind other people he is the Kazekage, but there are times when I think you forget."

Temari turned her gaze to her feet. "That is the first time he's actually yelled at me like that in a long time. I mean, we have our spats every now and then, but he actually scared me this time around."

Shikamaru placed a gentle hand under Temari's chin and brought her eyes up to meet his. "You are a troublesome woman. You need to stay out of this. Let him alone to find his own way. Or are you trying to get back at him for the way he acted when you finally told him about us?"

Temari slugged him in the shoulder. "Baka!"

"Ow… So you ARE trying to get back at him."

She let a slight smile pass her lips and slugged him in the other shoulder. "BAKA!"


	43. It wasn't my Idea

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto (Makes me cry when I think about it). Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 43: It wasn't my idea.

The phone was becoming a consistent annoyance, and the knocking on the door was becoming more of a pounding.

"We have to go out sometime ya'know." Myra put her hand on Naruto's cheek.

"Why is it that when we actually have some alone time, it gets interrupted?" The blonde whined.

"Such is life of important people. We will have time again. It isn't like we won't be together."

"I know." He sighed. The phone started to ring again. "Who the hell is that anyway?"

"The first few were my dad… That annoying ring is Sephie… She is probably calling to see if it's safe to come back. Dad was calling to make sure I was packing. And it's Konohamaru at the door with Moegi and Udon."

"How do you do that?" Naruto lifted himself up and moved off of her.

"It isn't that difficult." Myra giggled.

Naruto flopped back on top of Myra. "Don't giggle like that… It will get us into trouble."

Myra looked over to the clock; then looked back at Naruto with a mischievous grin. "We don't have to be at the gate to meet dad, Sakura and Teem Konohamaru until four o'clock. It's only two thirty."

Naruto gave her a foxy grin and rolled them over, nearly falling off the bed in the process.

Myra was laughing heartily. "But we also have to pack. I have to make sure we have everything we need. Remember, dad did say we were going to be doing a little training while we are out for the next two days."

"Myra, is Sephie going to be okay alone for two days?"

"She'll be all right. Besides, I don't think she's going to be all that alone." Myra smiled. There was more banging at the door. Naruto blinked at her in confusion. "I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually." Myra bent down and kissed him. She broke the kiss and got up. Naruto whimpered at the loss of her skin next to his. Myra was smart enough to not look back. She was pouting, and that WOULD have gotten them into trouble.

She walked to the end of the bed, pulled out a white "v" neck tank top and some blue jean shorts. Myra tossed Naruto his green boxers. "Stay here a minute and I will stall the kids." There was pounding that seemed more urgent. Naruto shook his head. Myra smiled as she closed the bedroom door behind her.

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Konohamaru had been banging on the door for ten minutes now. "Where is he?!"

"He obviously isn't here. Maybe he's off training. He has to do that too ya'know." Moegi dropped her back pack in the hallway.

"I think this is a bad idea. You remember the last time he took us on a survival training exercise? We almost DIED. Have I ever mentioned that I'm allergic to…"

"YES! Udon, you're allergic to EVERYTHING. WE know… GET OVER IT!" Konohamaru snapped at Udon.

Udon just sniffled. "Well, I'm just making sure you know."

Moegi shook her head. Though she liked her team mates very much, they were a bunch of idiots. "Would you two cut it out already?"

Konohamaru banged on the door again. "Where could he be? It's not like he has a life or anything."

Moegi walked over to Konohamaru and smacked him upside the head and glared at him with her fists balled on her hips.

"OW! What the hell was that for?" Konohamaru rubbed at the side of his head.

"You are such a BAKA sometimes. Did you NOT see the way he and Myra act around each other?" Moegi chided.

"Well, yeah, but she's just his friend, right?" Konohamaru looked confused.

Moegi crossed her arms. "Oh I think there's a bit more going on than "just" friends."

"Naruto did call her his pet." Udon nodded.

"And I'm not very found of being called a pet either." Myra opened the door.

The three teens jumped. Konohamaru puffed out his chest and walked over to her. "Where is Naruto?"

"He's busy Konohamaru-kun. How can I help you?" Myra smiled.

"Can I talk to him?"

"What part of "busy" did you not understand?" Myra raised an eyebrow.

Konohamaru started to open his mouth in protest, but Moegi understanding exactly what Myra meant, clapped her hand over Konohamaru's mouth. "Excuse him for being a BAKA. I am sure what ever it is that Konohamanru-kun wants to talk to Naruto-niisan about can wait. I'm sorry we bothered you."

Konohamaru struggled and finally got out of Moegi's grasp. "DAMN IT woman are you trying to KILL me?" He turned back to Myra. "I want to talk to Naruto NOW!"

Myra smiled. She didn't want to resort to these tactics, but the kids would just be in the way while they packed. Myra bent over so Konohamaru would get a nice look at cleavage as she bent over. She looked at him and pouted ever so slightly. Myra didn't want to hurt the poor boy.

In the sweetest voice she could muster. "Konohamaru-kun, I know you are very excited about the trip. But Naruto and I have to get a lot of stuff ready to go. We also have to plan the training. Now it wouldn't be fair if you knew what to expect now would it?"

Konohamaru nodded as if he was in a trance. Moegi snickered. Udon shook his head.

Myra stood up, bouncing a little as she did. "Right then. I expect all three of you at the gates at four sharp. If you're already packed, I would go over what you have packed and check it again. Now go… We will see you later, okay?"

The three teens nodded. Myra kissed Konohamaru on the forehead. "Don't worry about it so much. He isn't going to skip out." She winked. "I won't let him." Then closed the door to her apartment.

Konohamaru stood there like a dazed idiot for a few moments. There was a goofy grin on his face and a small trickle of blood seeping from his nose. Moegi shook her head, grabbed Konohamaru's ear, and started to drag him away. "Man, I got to get her to teach me how to do that."

"I'm glad I'm immune to girls." Udon laughed.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Myra held in her laughter as she shut the door. She looked up to see a glaring Naruto. She blinked up at him. "What?"

"Did you have to bend over? Or kiss him?" He grumbled.

"Would you rather I have yelled and screamed and kicked him?" She walked into the kitchen to make more coffee.

Naruto thought about that. "It's what I would have done."

"I was just being a little more polite about it."

Naruto walked up behind her and snaked his arms around her waist. "MY RABBIT." He growled in her ear.

"Yes, your rabbit." She said a little more sarcastically than she intended. But that possessive streak of his was beginning to annoy her. Myra was filling the coffee pot with water.

"You say that like its nothing to you." Naruto sounded hurt. That overwhelming urge to mark her and let every one know she was his was welling up again. He nuzzled into her back.

Myra could feel his hurt and the anger building in him at the same time. She needed to be careful how she approached the subject with him. She finished making coffee before she turned around to face him. She looked into his eyes so he would know she was sincere. "I love you. I love you more than I can explain and more than even I understand. All I did was tease a fourteen year old kid to get him to go away. I guarantee you he hasn't got a chance of stealing me away. You have to trust me."

Naruto looked up at her with a very sad look. "I do trust you. I don't trust them."

"Good, and I trust you. Know that this," She kissed his forehead, "this," she kissed his nose and then smiled, "and this," she kissed his lips sweetly, "is very much yours. I wouldn't give them willingly to anyone else with out a purpose or reason." Myra's phone started to ring again. "Please go open the door for Sephie and Gaara. I will finish making a light snack for all of us." She kissed him on the nose again. She had successfully dodged the subject for the time being.

"No, seriously… I really want to know how you do that." He let her go and started to walk to the front door.

"I will see if I can teach you." She smiled at him. He ran back to her for one last kiss before they had company. It was a deep kiss that warmed the room.

Myra raised an eyebrow. "GO answer the door." She pushed him out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah…" Naruto walked to the door and opened it.

Sephie looked up at him surprised. "Oh… Naruto… I thought… We thought…"

Gaara had a dead pan expression, but he looked like he was more contemplative than normal. Naruto gestured with his hand. Sephie and Gaara entered the apartment. Sephie bounded into the kitchen to talk to Myra. Gaara just stood next to the door for a moment. Naruto looked back and forth between Gaara and Sephie.

"So was it good?" He whispered to Gaara.

Gaara took a deep breath. "It was lunch. It was different."

"Different is good." Naruto gave Gaara that foxy grin.

"I would like to speak to Myra privately for a moment, if I may." Gaara looked at Naruto.

"Ummm… Sure…Myra?" Naruto look slightly confused.

Myra came out of the kitchen. "Yes… Oh… Good after noon, Gaara-sama. I hope your day has gone well."

"It has been interesting. Might I have a word with you privately for a moment?" Gaara looked pensive. Myra tilted her head. She could feel something had changed in him, but there was something else that was bothering the normally stoic man. Something that had him on edge and though very fait, it scared him.

"Sure," she smiled at him. "Give me a second. Sephie, would you finish the sandwiches?"

Sephie was heard from the kitchen. "Sure…"

Myra walked past Naruto, putting her hand on his chest briefly, and smiled at him. She gestured to go out in the hall way to talk for a moment. Gaara followed her. Naruto closed the door, and Myra turned to the troubled Kazekage.

"How may I be of assistance?" Myra smiled.

"I am not sure how to ask this." Gaara turned his gaze to his sandals.

Myra looked over Gaara with a medical eye. "You are having problems sleeping. My guess is you went to Tsunade who told you something like "what coincidence, we have sleep experts in our midst… Go ask a Ravenheart…" Am I right?" She said with a laugh to lighten the mood.

Gaara didn't look up, but he did jump a little in shock that she could be so right. Myra picked up on Gaara's apprehension. "I know more than you think I do. I don't know all the details, but I know enough to start the process. I have one question, what is keeping you from sleeping?"

"Nightmares of… the past… Mostly… Old habits that do not want to go away." Gaara looked up at her.

Myra sighed. "The habits have to be broken, but until we can talk more and I can get a clearer picture of what the nightmares are about, I suggest an outside focus."

Gaara blinked at her. "An outside focus?"

"Basically, it is something like a tether to reality. It needs to be something you hold on to as you try to sleep. Something you can grasp as a reminder that you are dreaming. This is a step in learning to control your own dreams. It will have to do for now. I don't know where I am going to fit you in my very busy schedule, my father and I may have to tag team, if you are amenable to that."

Gaara nodded in agreement.

"I also suggest talking with Sephie." Myra waited for the reaction.

Gaara perked up a little. Myra felt his mood change from very dark and cold, to a little warmer and brighter, but then it went back to being cold. "I do not know what to say."

Myra put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "She can talk… Let me tell you, she can talk. But believe it or not, she's one of the best listeners I have ever met."

"She is not scared of me." Gaara admitted.

Myra had to giggle. "Of course she isn't. Did you expect her to be scared? Why should she be scared?"

Gaara looked up at Myra, seriously confused. "You know I am much like Naruto-san."

"Yes, Sandy the Homicidal Maniac, I know." She giggled.

"You have answered your own questions as to why she should be scared." He still looked perplexed.

"Oh… That…" Myra smiled. "Gaara, I will let you in on a little secret. The only person worried about that is you. I can tell you because of that admission, that it is part of the reason you aren't sleeping. It is a fear of a relapse into those old habits, but we will talk more when there is more time. Right now I have to pack for a camping trip. In the meantime, I believe you have some other things to deal with."

Gaara was taking in everything Myra had told him. He looked up and nodded.

"Oh, and Gaara, I know you're not a babysitter, but do you think you can keep an eye on Sephie while we are out training?"

Gaara blushed slightly. "I would be honored." Myra felt his mood change again for the better.


	44. Camping is fun

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I STILL do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 44: Camping is Fun!

There were no tents to set up, the weather was going to be clear and warm, so it was thought that just sleeping under the stars would be perfect. They had dug a fire pit, started a fire, and the water was already happily boiling over the fire. They had cleared out the brush around the area so there wasn't anything poking them while they sleep. Naruto had wondered off to gather some more firewood. Sakura had taken the kids to teach them basic first aide.

Myra walked up to her father and handed him his mug of coffee. "Thanks for helping out with this Dad."

"You're welcome sweetheart, though shouldn't it be Naruto thanking me?" Rai smiled at her.

"I'm sure he will." Myra sipped at her mug.

"So?" The elder Ravenheart was staring off in the distance.

"So… What?" Myra looked up at her father.

Rai continued to stare off in the distance and sighed deeply.

"Dad, if you have something you want to ask, then ask me. If you have something to tell me, then tell me. I'm a big girl, I can take it." She raised an annoyed eyebrow.

He looked at his mug pensively. "Your special match has been decided."

"Okay, who am I going to fight?" Myra sipped at her mug.

"I received word today that Hiashi will be the one fighting." He looked at her to gauge her reaction.

"You've got to be kidding." She raised her eyebrows in shock.

Rai took a long breath. "I wish I were kiddo. It seems he does not believe Hinata or Neji can beat you. The rules I set down state he has the right, as the leader of the clan, to choose the champion or fight himself."

"Doesn't this mean that you can fight? He may back down if you step on the field." Myra gave him a crooked grin.

"Unfortunately, it does not. This has escalated to a point that even the Hokage has no control over what happens anymore. You have to win the match, or I will have no choice but to agree to the marriage." Rai looked down at his daughter and gave her a very weak smile.

"Please tell me you have a Plan B."

"There is no Plan B. I am afraid that you will have to face this challenge head on. There isn't anything that I can do to get you out of it." He shook his head.

"I never wanted you to get me out of it." She sighed. "I know how to fight my own battles, Dad. I wanted you here for support and advice."

Rai chuckled. "My advice is to train your ass off until the match."

"Thanks Dad." She rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't already know." Myra walked over to the fire. Fighting Hiashi was not something she had calculated. Fighting Hinata or Neji would be easy; she wouldn't have to fight them. It had already been decided that should Hiashi choose one of them, the fight would be convincing, but Myra would ultimately win. This was an unexpected variable that just didn't sit well with Myra.

Myra chugged the remainder of her coffee and started to rummage through her back pack. She pulled out a towel and swim suit. There was a lake not far away and a good swim would help her think. "I'm going to the lake for a swim. I'll be back in a little while." She told her father before she wondered off.

Myra walked into the forest, she was still grumbling about the news of the match. She stopped for a moment. Naruto wasn't that far away getting firewood. A sly smirk crossed her lips. The thought crossed her mind, and the next thing she was doing, was actively suppressing her chakra. Stalking him sounded like great fun.

Naruto was doing pretty well with his kunai. Naruto was focusing his wind element chakra into the kunai and using the kunai to cut down the dry under brush of the trees. Naruto didn't suspect anything.

Myra kept out of sight of the blonde power house. She slowly stalked Naruto wanting to surprise him. She waited in the bushes until Naruto had turned his back on her. Then, she leaped full force at his mid section tackling him to the ground. A quick roll and they landed, Naruto spread eagle on his back and Myra grinning madly, sitting on his stomach.

Myra continued to grin madly. "Rabbit trumps Fox!"

"You know, the last time we started like this, you ended up nailed to a tree." Naruto put his hands on her waist, putting his hands under her shirt.

Myra leaned down, laying on top of him. "I know." She nuzzled his neck kissing softly.

"Myra, there are kids and Sakura and your dad that could come around looking for us at any moment." He started to turn red, but didn't try to stop her.

Myra was smirking and holding back her want to burst in to hysterical laughter. Myra sat up and pouted. "But Naruto," she whined seductively, "that's what makes it so exciting… There could be someone watching right now," she glanced around; then looked back at Naruto. "And it would make it that much more fun." Myra pushed her pelvis in to his, causing Naruto's breathing to stop for a moment. Naruto laid there like a board trying NOT to tear her clothes off. He gritted his teeth and grabbed her waist a little tighter.

"Gods you're easy…" She sat up and smirked at him.

"Don't think you can tease me like this and not expect the consequences." He growled at her.

She smirked at him. "Oh I expect them." She leaned down and nuzzled his neck again so she was very close to his ear. "And I invite them." She licked his ear. "But not right now." Naruto loosened his grip on her and she got up. Myra extended her hand to help him up. He took her hand and pulled her back down on top of him.

"I changed my mind." It was his turn to tease.

She raised an eyebrow. "And what about all those people that could come through the forest right now?"

"Would you two get a room? I mean really! There are kids around!" Sakura looked appalled.

Myra laughed. "See what I mean."

Naruto whispered. "A little while ago you didn't care."

"A little while ago, Sakura wasn't standing a few feet away…" Myra giggled and got up. She turned to Sakura. "Sorry, got a little carried away there." She smiled.

Sakura crossed her arms and tried to look shocked. The reality was she found it extremely funny and kind of romantic. Sakura shook her head. "I really don't care what you two do in your spare time, but no one wants to see it…"

Myra raised her right hand. "I promise not to…"

Sakura held up a hand and started to laugh. "Save it… I'm not going to hold you to anything." She looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow. "I just don't want to be woken up by strange loud noises, nor do I want to have to explain those loud noises to Konohamaru, Moegi, or Udon."

Naruto looked somewhat annoyed. "I'm not loud."

Myra burst into laughter. Sakura started to giggle. Naruto turned a brilliant shade of red and pouted. Myra bent down to the blonde. "I'm going to take a swim." She stood back up. "If you want to join me, the offer is there."

"I'll be there in a minute." Naruto smiled.

"I think Konohamaru and the rest would like that." Sakura blinked.

Naruto looked at Sakura through squinted eyes. "She didn't ask the brats."

Just then, two short ninja ran past the three older ninja. Konohamaru and Moegi being extremely loud.

"LAST ONE IN THE WATER IS A LOOSER!" Konohamaru shouted as he ran past.

Moegi was hot on his heels. "KONOHAMARU-KUN, YOUR'RE ALREADY A LOOSER!"

Myra turned to Naruto and grinned. "Well I don't want to be a looser." And she took off running.

"OH no you don't…" Naruto scrambled to his feet.

Udon slowly walked into forest and stood next to Sakura. "I don't like swimming."

Sakura's eye twitched. "Is there anything you do like?"

Udon looked up at Sakura and smiled. "I like books."

0 – 0

It was easy for the boys to strip down to boxers. There was a loud splash. Naruto and Konohamaru were in the water at almost the exact same time. There was time for a little bit of a swim before the sun went down. Naruto came up out of the water first, followed moments later by Konohamaru. They both had matching smirks and proceeded to try and drowned the other in an all out dunking match.

Moegi and Myra had gone off a little farther to change into swim suites. Moegi came out of the forest in a nice green one piece that flattered her little figure. Moegi didn't see the blush on Konohamaru's face because he turned around to dunk Naruto yet again.

Myra came out to the sounds of laughter and splashing water. She had been the one to pick up the discarded clothing left by the boys. She had neatly folded the clothes and put them up on the beach so they would not get wet. Naruto came up out of the water to see her standing next to the rock, still wrapped in her towel.

"Time for me to play a little." He shot a foxy grin to Konohamaru.

Konohamaru gave his mentor a fake smile that became a frown as soon as Naruto turned. _It isn't fair_ the younger boy thought. Moegi blinked at the exchange between Naruto and Konohamaru. The younger boy had never looked at Naruto that way and it meant trouble was brewing.

Naruto walked up on the shore line. Myra glanced back over her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

Naruto stopped and looked at her slightly crest fallen. "Trying to sneak up on you."

Myra turned and stuck her hands on her hips. "Well… You can't. So get used to it."

"Ok so I can't sneak up on you." He said with the same foxy grin. "But I can toss your ass in the water." And he went to grab her.

Myra raised her hand. "WAIT!"

Naruto stopped his charge and stared at her slightly confused.

Myra removed her towel to reveal a purple bikini that left little to the imagination. She painstakingly folded the towel and put it up on the warm rock. Myra turned back around to see Naruto standing there just staring at her. "Ok, you may toss me in the water now."

Naruto was speechless and motionless.

"Oh come on… You've seen me in less." Myra giggled.

"Yeah…" He was finding it hard to form words. "But… I… After… We…"

Myra walked towards him. "And we still may… I am waiting for those… Consequences you were talking about." She kissed him on the nose.

Naruto wrapped his arms around her. "Just as long as you know." He picked her up and carried her like a sack of potatoes over to the water and unceremoniously tossed her in the water. They spent the next hour or so playing and swimming in the cool water, until Sakura came to spoil everything by telling every one it was time for dinner, then bed.


	45. True Feelings Be Known

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto (I cry when I think about it). Rated "M" for language and adult situations

_**IF YOU HAVE NOT READ CHAPTER 44 SINCE THE REWRITE - PLEASE GO BACK AND READ CHAPTER 44**_

Chapter 45: True feelings be known

The Teeny Trio sat, slurping on ramen. Konohamaru was looking up at Myra every few slurps, but looking away when he thought she would notice. Moegi was catching every few glances and glaring at Konohamaru. Udon was just plain miserable.

Moegi caught Konohamaru glancing over at Myra and couldn't stand it anymore. She kicked him, square in the shin. "You are going to get yourself hurt."

"I wouldn't hurt so much if you would quit trying to kill me." Konohamaru grumbled.

"She's too old for you Konohamaru… She will just break your heart." Udon shook his head. "Women are trouble. Nothing good comes from them."

"Naruto-niisan will break more than your heart." Moegi snickered.

"Would you guys just shut up already?!" Konohamaru broke his chopsticks, got up and walked off. He walked past Myra and she instantly knew he was confused and upset. And it was her fault. She had noticed the almost puppy dog behavior she was getting form him. All the time they were swimming he was trying so hard to get her attention. Myra didn't ignore him, she placated his attention getting. It had turned it to a "see what I can do" match between Konohamaru and Naruto.

Naruto had gotten the kiss. She had merely ruffled Konohamaru's hair. She had noticed the glances he was giving her. Myra was intentionally ignoring them, hoping he would figure it out on his own. Naruto had, thankfully, been oblivious to Konohamaru. After Naruto had finished his dinner, Myra's father took him for a little man to man talk. This was another thing that seemed to worry Myra. She let out a deep sigh.

Sakura picked up on Myra's pensive mood. "Having boy trouble?"

"You could say that." Myra pushed around the noodles in her bowl. "Maybe I should have stayed single."

"Being single isn't all it's cracked up to be." Sakura chuckled.

"Amen sister…" Myra nodded. "You know I was going to ask you about that. Why ARE you still single? With all the extremely attractive men walking around your village, I am sure there is one that would be happy with a girl like you."

Sakura smiled sadly and looked off in the distance. "I'm waiting for the right guy to come home."

"Saskue..." Myra nodded. Sakura didn't nod or say anything. She merely continued to stare at the rising moon. Silently, Sakura wondered if he was looking up at the same moon.

Myra took a deep breath. She was trying to locate him. It wasn't hard to do. He wasn't that far away, just about two miles off to the Northwest. She couldn't tell he was doing, but he was feeling agitated and pensive.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Sasuke sat in his tree looking up at the sky. There was something relaxing about the stars that could calm him, though this night his mind was not as calm as it should be. Karin and Suigetsu had been fighting as usual. Jugo had been meditating under the tree keeping Karin away from Sasuke. Sasuke had let his mind wonder to his pink haired kunoichi. Normally he only allowed himself to think about her in his dreams, but the last few days Sakura had done more than invade his thoughts. She plagued them.

"Damn Crazy Bitch…" Sasuke mumbled under his breath. Myra had forced him to acknowledge feelings he had denied. He had never really felt home sick or thought about giving up his quest for Madera. Happiness was not important, but tonight he felt the pang of guilt for leaving Sakura on the bench on that night so long ago. Sasuke took a deep breath and looked up at the moon and hoped that somewhere Sakura was looking at it too.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Myra shook her head, smiling to herself. "He's closer than you think." She whispered.

"Hmmm?" Sakura came out of her melancholy mood.

Myra smiled. "Nothing. I'm sure you'll find Sasuke when he's ready to be found."

Something occurred to Sakura, but then as the thought came to her, it vanished. Her mood changed when her inner voice whispered that Sasuke was safe for now and she shouldn't worry about him so much. Sakura stretched. "I think I'm going to head off to bed. It's late and we have an early morning." She turned to Moegi and Udon. "That goes for you two as well."

"But what about Konohamaru-kun?" Moegi sounded concerned. Sakura turned around to Myra.

"I'll go get him. I think he and I need to have a little chat anyway." Myra sighed again. She nodded to Sakura, who smiled faintly. The pink haired girl did not envy Myra's task, but it was something that had to be done.

0 – 0

Rai and Naruto had walked to the shore line of the lake. Rai had a cup of coffee and was sipping at it occasionally as they walked. They stood looking at the reflection of the moon on the lake when Rai finally spoke. "Myra is going to need your help over the next few weeks."

Naruto tilted his head. "How so?"

Rai kept his eyes on the lake. "As I hear it, you fought Neji Hyuuga in the Chunin Exams a few years back, and you have been on several missions with him. I need someone with some knowledge of the Hyuuga's Gentle Fist that will help train Myra. Though both Neji and Hinata have offered, they were forbidden to speak to Myra until this business is over."

"I will do what I can, but I don't know what I will be able to help her with." Naruto cast his eyes to the ground.

"There is much you can do. You have some knowledge of how Neji fights. That will give her some insight into how Hiashi fights. Though I am sure Neji's fighting style is much different than Hiashi's, there should be some similarities." He looked over at the blonde.

Naruto looked up at Rai. "Is there a way I could fight for her?"

Rai smiled at the blonde. "And why would you do such a thing?"

Naruto gave Rai a foxy grin. "Because I know I can beat that Hyuuga bastard."

"But you do not believe that Myra can?" The elder man eyed Naruto.

Naruto blinked at Rai. Naruto hadn't thought about it that way.

"It's all right Naruto. Even I have my doubts. This may be a battle she can not overcome." He put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "She will need your strength."

Naruto nodded.

Rai smiled and changed the subject. "I think Master Jiriaya would have liked Myra…"

"Are you kidding? Ero-Sennin would have…" The blonde thought about it for a second. "I would kill him…" Naruto grumbled.

Rai burst out laughing. "I wouldn't have been worried. She would have dropped him faster than you can say "horse shit" and she wouldn't have touched him."

Naruto crossed his arms. "Yeah… That's why I would have to kill him… Who in their right mind taught her how to do that?"

"_**Not that you mind!"**_ The Fox snorted.

"_Can it! No one is talking to you…"_ Naruto scolded internally.

Rai coughed. "Public school and Master Jiraiya's books. She's read all of them."

Naruto raised shocked eyebrows. "WHAT?"

"_**I knew there was something familiar about the way she…"**_

"_DO NOT FINISH THAT SENTENCE."_ Naruto became visible agitated.

"Son, you ok?" Rai raised an eyebrow.

"I'm fine… Just… Upset stomach. To much Ramen more than likely." Naruto groused.

"Well I think the girls should be getting worried about now. I think we should head back. Besides, my cup is empty. When we get back, we'll decide the watch rotation." Rai started to walk back.

Naruto nodded and followed.

0 – 0

Myra found Konohamaru using a tree as target practice. She stood back and watched him for a few minutes take out his aggression on the tree. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't good either. He was hitting the tree eighty percent of the time.

Konohamaru knew she was there. She wasn't trying to hide the fact that she was there. He stood straight up and tried his best. He threw the six shuriken at the tree. Four stuck dead center, one stuck in the side of the tree, and the last missed completely. He stood up and glared at the tree.

"You're trying to hard." Myra's gentle voice came through the trees, just as she stepped out into the moon light.

"I'm sorry I'm not as perfect as Naruto." He said bitterly.

Myra smirked. "Who said Naruto was perfect?"

Konohamaru turned and glared at her. "You sure think the sun shines out of his ass…"

"And what I think about Naruto means what to you? You haven't once asked me what I think about you. Not that it should matter, but you seem very preoccupied with how I think about Naruto." Myra crossed her arms.

The young boy was taken aback by her question. "Ok, I'll bite… What do you think about me?"

"Right now, I think you're acting like a spoiled brat that can't have what he wants." Myra raised an eyebrow and waited for his reaction.

"Hn… Shows you what you know. I don't want anything from anyone." Konohamaru lied and turned away from her.

"Oh really, hero worship turned to hero envy that quickly? You idolize someone, want what he has, then when you can't have it you sulk like a little kid… Oh wait, you are a little kid." She was baiting him.

"I am not a little kid!" Konohamaru yelled at her. His face was red with anger and his fists were clenched at his sides.

"You could have fooled me." Myra took a deep breath.

Konohamaru turned around. He didn't want her to see him cry. "Just go away and leave me alone."

Myra could hear the hurt and tears in his voice. "Look small fry… What I did this afternoon was… Well it wasn't a very smart thing to do. I put a thought in your head that shouldn't have been there in the first place. You are like Naruto's little brother and that's the way I will always think of you. I never really got to have any siblings."

Myra sniffled, she was starting to cry too. "My older brother died when I was five and I've never been properly introduced to my Uchiha cousin. I would like to have a chance to have a little brother, if you will at least let me start over."

Konohamaru stood there chewing on her words. There was a lot he understood, and there was a lot he was still confused about. He went over what had happened earlier. He went over his range of emotions and then it dawned on him. She had tricked him. Myra had used a different form of Naruto's and his Sexy Jutsu, but this was in it's truest form. This was a girl besting him at his own distraction tactic. For the first time, he realized that the Sexy Jutsu was imperfect and needed work.

Konohamaru rubbed at his eyes and turned to Myra with a smirk on his face. "I accept your apology. But there are a few conditions."

"Conditions?" Myra raised a curious eyebrow.

"Yes, conditions." Konohamaru crossed his arms defiantly. "First, I need help with a special Jutsu… Second, I want to call you Usagi-nechan…"

"Ummm… Ok… I think…" Myra let out a long sigh. "Now, let's get back to camp before we are missed. We need to get some rest because we have an early morning." She stood waiting for him.

"Right…Umm… Usagi-nechan… If I were a little older…" He asked hesitantly.

Myra smiled. "Naruto would have a run for his money."


	46. Enter the Ethereal

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto (I cry when I think about it). Rated "M" for language and adult situations

Chapter 46: Enter the Ethereal

Sakura had conveniently brought a deck of cards, so choosing the watch order was very simple. He, or she, who had the highest card went first. Moegi was chosen to shuffle and deal the cards. It was a short game of poker to see who had the highest card. All at once the four flipped over the cards.

Naruto took the first two hour watch with the Jack of Spade. Rai took the next two hours with Four of Diamonds. Sakura sighed heavily with the Deuce of Hearts. And Myra reveled with the fact that she would get to sleep for all six hours uninterrupted with the Ace of Spades.

Sakura and Myra had finished making sure the kids were tucked away in their sleeping bags. Sakura had already crawled into her sleeping bag and was beginning to slow her breathing. Myra had rolled her sleeping bag out over the ground next to Sakura and was tucking herself in. A sly smirk crossed face. She stretched, yawned, and slipped down between the blankets. Myra closed her eyes and was about to settle when warms lips brushed her cheek.

"You want me to wake you up in two hours?' Naruto whispered softly.

"Whether I say yes or no, you will anyway." She opened one eye and smiled.

"I won't if you don't want me too." He pouted.

"Just crawl in when you're ready." She sighed.

Naruto kissed her cheek again. "Sleep well Rabbit."

"Oh, I will…" And she closed her eyes. Myra felt Naruto's foot falls move away from her. She heard the light snoring of the girl next to her. Myra just hoped she wouldn't have to wait too long for the third person she needed to be asleep. The Ravenheart girl took a deep breath and started concentrating on her sleep.

Her heart rate slowed, her breath nearly stopped, and it wasn't long before Myra was falling through the rainbow colors to the Ethereal. The dreamscape Myra built in her mind was a simple grassy meadow, with the sun shining overhead. The cool breeze was causing the tall grass to dance at her feet.

She looked around the landscape that she created. It felt safe and warm. She took another deep breath. "Sasuke…" she called softly.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Rai stood over Myra's sleeping figure and felt the chakra pulsate. The elder Ravenheart glanced up to the trees. _"How long as this been going on?"_

"_Since the boy has been close enough. Her range is a few miles, but only with him." _Edgar's red eyes shown out of the trees.

"_I see."_ Rai frowned down at his sleeping daughter.

The soft glow of Poe's blue eyes became apparent next to the pair of red glowing eyes. _"She keeps this secret because she made a promise to the boy. He is not ready to be found. There is still the old one."_

Rai looked up at the birds confused. _"The old one?"_

"_The old one is the source of the shadow the boy chases. The old one is the evil behind everything."_ Edgar tilted his head.

"_Only in the Light can one see a shadow of Darkness. Only in Darkness can one see the Light. As she has said already, she is not the light, but she is the one that must flip the switch. The boy can not see the shadow because he is in darkness and shadows dwell in darkness."_ Poe cooed.

"_You speak in riddles Poe… Make sense please."_ Rai shook his head.

"_The Spirit of Rhyme and Wisdom am I. It is mine to speak in riddles and song. I know no other way."_

Rai sighed. _"How long should I allow this to continue?"_

"_Until the Uchiha boy can see the light of course."_ Edgar chided. _"He is a stubborn one that Sasuke. He is just as stubborn as Myra, but a little more hard headed. He could help Myra in her training for the match. He has sharingan talents Kakashi does not and he could teach her to use them to her advantage. She will need that advantage if she hopes to keep her freedom."_

Rai looked at his daughter's sleeping face. _"I hope you're right Edgar. I hope you're right."_

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Sasuke…" Myra called out into the Ethereal. She stood waiting in the grass while it tickled her feet. She spread her arms and just fell back into the soft earth. She was enjoying the feel of the sun on her skin. Myra closed her eyes and just waited. Soon a shadow cast over her form and Myra felt the cold shiver of night. She opened her eyes and looked up.

The sun had faded to a brilliant pale moon, the wind was still gently rustling through the trees, but the grassy meadow had changed. She was in the empty streets of Konoha at night, lying under an overly pink, blossoming cherry tree. Just over the hill, just out of sight was the bench that had been in Sasuke's recent thoughts.

"Wow, you sure know how to cheer things up." Myra said sarcastically and sat up on her elbows.

"What do you want?" Sasuke grumbled.

"I don't want anything. It's what you wanted, or have you forgotten your request from the other day?" Myra sat up and waved her hand. Instantly a large TV screen appeared and hovered in mid air. The static on the screen vanished and it replayed the scene for him.

On the tv screen:

Sasuke stood a few feet from Myra in a forest glade. "Oi, Crazy Bitch… How did you shrug off my Chidori?" He glared at her.

"Part of that family history lesson I promised. My dad started to throw lightening bolts at me when I was nine. Ravenheart family element is Lightening, so I am intimately familiar with what lightening can and can not do. My hand is still extremely numb by the way. It may have looked cool as hell, but it hurt just as much." Myra showed Sasuke the burn mark on the palm of her right hand. Myra sighed. "I need to get going." She started to walk away.

Sasuke watched her take a few steps. Then he did something despite himself, he grabbed her wrist. She turned back to him. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. _Is there a way that, maybe I can see Sakura?_

Myra smiled at him. _I will see what I can do. I can't promise anything, but I am sure I can come up with something. There isn't a way I can convince you to just come back with me is there?_

Sasuke let go of her hand and returned to his cold emotionless expression. "I can't go back." _Not yet anyway._

"What ever… See ya round Fucktard." Myra started to head towards the Gates of Konoha.

OFF

The TV screen blipped off and vanished.

"And this is what you came up with?" He glared.

Myra chuckled. "Look Fucktard, you're two freakin' miles away. You wanna see her that fucking badly, walk your sorry ass over here and say hello. Or I could just tell her where you are, point, get some popcorn and watch the pretty fireworks." She smirked.

"Hn." He wanted to tell the crazy bitch that he didn't want to see Sakura, that he had changed his mind, but his lips could not and would not form the words.

Myra shook her head. "Sasuke," Myra got up and dusted herself off. "I am trying to be nice about this." She got up very close to him. "I don't have to be. I am only doing this because YOU," she poked him in the chest for emphasis. "asked me to. If you want to go back to sulking in your tree, FINE, don't ask me to do anything else for you." She was reaching back to hit him.

"This isn't exactly how I wanted to see her." Sasuke said before he could stop himself.

Myra relaxed her hand. "Well, if you've got any better ideas, hot shot, I'm all ears."

"I don't."

Myra crossed her arms. "Then what's it to be? Should I pull her in? Or should I just smack you and let you go back to your tree? Personally, I opt for smacking you, but that is just a personal preference." She grinned.

Sasuke took a deep breath and looked at her annoyed. "I don't think anyone, but the dobe, talks to me the way you do."

"Ahh… I'm touched. You really know how to flatter a girl." She giggled.

Sasuke's eye twitched. "You are more annoying than Sakura." The wind rustled the blossoms of the cherry tree and seemed to glow for a moment.

Myra raised an inquisitive eyebrow, smirking wide. Either she truly was more annoying than Pinky in his mind, or he didn't find Sakura annoying at all. "How DO you feel about Sakura?"

Sasuke had to bit his lip to keep from answering. He was compelled to answer the question. He turned his head defiantly. "Hn." And he started to walk away towards the bench.

Myra followed. "That isn't an answer."

"Hn." He continued to walk to the bench.

"Self centered egotistical FUCKTARD!" Myra yelled at him.

"Are you going to pull her in or not?" He stood in the shadows out of sight of the bench.

Myra walked up beside him and took a good look at the man standing in front of her. He was different somehow. There was so much of the cold darkness that surrounded him, but there was a glimmer. It was faint, very faint, but it was there. Myra lifted her hand to place it on his shoulder, hesitated, and then placed her hand gently on his shoulder. What she felt, moved her to tears.


	47. Love in the Ethereal

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto (Never have, never will.). Rated "M" for language and adult situations

Chapter 47: Love in the Ethereal

Myra senses passed the chilling cold to the faint glimmer she had seen. Her eyes shot open when she reached the faint light in Sasuke's heart. It was the last thing keeping him going. The last reason he wanted to live on. It was that hope that once everything was said and done, he could go home and she would still be there waiting for him. It served his self centered nature to think that, but the light of that hope had kept the darkness that was consuming his soul from completely taking over.

He loved her. Sasuke loved Sakura. Myra started to cry because he had denied it for so long it hurt him to even think about her. She removed her hand from his shoulder and dropped to the ground in tears. "Oh God Sasuke… I'm sorry." She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face.

Sasuke didn't turn around to Myra. He couldn't. He was fighting back the tears and the pain as well. DAMN this place. It confused and overwhelmed his senses. There was no rational thought here, only emotions and dreams. But he could have his dreams here. He could have Sakura here. And maybe he could tell her here.

Sasuke's voice was strained. "Bring her here and put her on the bench. I have some unfinished business."

Myra sniffled and nodded. "Word of caution, you must maintain that this is a dream. She's a smart one and might figure it out. If she does, and wakes up, we could have a very serious problem on our hands."

"Do you have to stay?" His voice was a whisper.

"Unfortunately I do. I am your conduit to Sakura. I wish I could give you some privacy, I really do. But there isn't a way around that." Myra stood up giving him an understanding smile. "Don't worry lover boy, I will keep my distance, until you have to leave. You ready?"

"Hn."

Myra shook her head. "Here goes. Remember, this is a dream." Myra's figure shimmered out of sight. A few moments later, Sasuke watched as Sakura's form appeared sitting on the bench. She was dressed the outfit he had last seen her in; the red shirt, the matching pink skirt over black shorts, and the black heeled sandals. She had kept her hair short for all this time. Sasuke had never had the chance to tell her he liked it that way.

Sakura sat on the bench like she had so many nights. Staring at the moon, wondering where he was and what he was doing. She felt a wave of peace come over her. Sasuke was safe and it was something deep down that told her was. She felt the cool night breeze against her skin and she closed her eyes, allowing the wind to caress her. She could swear she felt his hand touch her face. She pretended that it was his hand on her cheek. "Oh, Sasuke." She muttered to herself.

Sakura sighed and opened her eyes to look into a pair of dark onyx eyes. Sasuke had sat next to her on the bench. Her breath caught in her throat. She opened her lips to say something and found that she couldn't. Sasuke had captured her lips with his. _This most certainly was a dream_, she thought. But what a wonderful dream it was.

They broke the kiss and Sakura just stared at Sasuke. "You're here?" She put her hand on his cheek. He felt cold, but warm at the same time. He felt real, yet so far away.

"For now." He put his forehead against hers.

"This is a dream right?" Sakura whispered.

"Yes." He answered her softly.

"I don't want it to end." She closed her eyes again.

"It has to."

She pushed him back to look at him properly. Tears started to fall from her eyes. "Why? It's a dream. Dreams don't have to end."

"You have to wake up eventually Sakura." His eyes told her that he didn't want the dream to end either.

Sakura took a deep breath to calm her tears. "Then I don't ever want to wake up."

Sasuke pulled her into a deep embrace. "Shhh… Don't worry about it right now." He stroked her hair down her back as if it was the most natural thing to be doing.

0 – 0 – 0

Myra had shimmer to the top of the trees and was watching the two. She conjured some popcorn and settled in to watch the tragic romance unfold before her. It wasn't something she really wanted to watch, especially if things got hot and steamy. Of course, it would only mean she would crave the attentions of a certain blonde later. Myra shook her head and kept Naruto out of her thoughts. The last thing she needed is for the Fox to feel her call out to him.

"What exactly are you doing?" Her father's voice nearly startled her out of the tree. Popcorn went flying everywhere and Myra was face to face with her angry looking father.

"Uh… Hi dad… Just… Um… Oh crap…" Myra gave her father a very weak smile.

"I asked a question young lady, what are you doing?" He was standing on the same limb she was sitting on. He crossed his arms and glowered at her.

"Just reuniting old friends." She answered hurriedly. "Is there a problem with that?"

"It is, when one of them is a highly dangerous and sought after missing nin of Konoha." His voice was a little loud and he kept his glower.

"Shhh… Not so loud. Sakura really thinks she dreaming and I would like to keep it that way."

"Well you had best tell him to end it now. Naruto is coming off watch. I came here to warn you." He turned his back.

"What?" Myra was shocked.

"Edgar and Poe say you talking to Sasuke, is a good thing for now… I suppose you can track him too?" He had lowered his voice, but he still sounded disappointed. Myra didn't answer, she just nodded.

Rai let out a deep sigh. "I promise I won't tell the Hokage of this until I find it is necessary."

"No… Swear you will come and ask me FIRST before you tell ANYONE. And then you and I will confess together." Myra looked at her father seriously.

Rai shook his head and chuckled. "You sure didn't leave me any loop holes."

"I know the rules of the Ethereal just as well as you do. Remember, you taught them to me." Myra crossed her arms.

"Yes, but Edgar taught you how to manipulate them."

"I do not manipulate them… I bend them without breaking them." Myra smirked.

The elder Ravenheart sighed. "I swear I will ask you first before I tell anyone that you can speak with, have spoken to, and can track Sasuke Uchiha."

"And I swear that after we discuss the situation and I find it necessary, I will go with you to confess my transgression to the Hokage." Myra smirked.

"You little cheat." Rai scowled.

"What is said is said… Pax?" Myra held out her hand.

Rai took her hand begrudgingly and shook it. "Pax… Now send him back to where ever it is before the Fox boy gets to close and notices."

"Yes Father." Myra watched her father shimmer out of the dreamscape.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Sakura's head was lying peacefully on Sasuke's lap. Sasuke was still stroking her hair and being content with the world. He went on guard the moment he felt Myra come near. He couldn't see her, but he could feel her.

"_You have to let her go now."_ Myra's voice echoed from everywhere.

Sasuke stopped and Sakura sat up. The pink haired girl looked at Sasuke with very sad green eyes. "No… Not yet, you just got here." The girl pleaded.

"_There will be other dreams Sakura."_ A glowing purple light floated from the trees and hovered above the pair. _"This is a dream and dreams are what you make of them."_ The glowing orb pulsated with each word.

"I don't want to go yet." Sasuke glared at the glowing ball.

"_I'm sorry Sasuke."_ Myra's disembodied voice sounded sad. _"You have the chance to tell her, so tell her quickly."_

Sasuke stood up pulling Sakura with him. He pulled her into his arms and held on for dear life. "I love you Sakura." And then he kissed her.

Tears streamed down Sakura's face. This was definitely the best dream she ever had and would not soon forget. When the two broke apart, Sakura gazed into the dark pools of onyx. "And I will always love you Sasuke."

He held her close again feeling the warmth that she was for him. He had denied it for so long. Now Sasuke had admitted it to himself and to her. The weight was off his chest and he found it easier to breath.

The glowing purple orb hovered before Sakura's closed eyes. _"Back to YOUR dreams my friend."_ Sakura's form faded from Sasuke's arms. When it had finally faded his arms went limp at his sides.

Myra reformed herself as the person he knew. She just stood there waiting for him to turn. His glimmer was brighter now. More like a small flame that was getting brighter. Myra smiled inwardly. "I told you, tomorrow at the lake. Keep your chakra suppressed and you may catch a glimpse."

"I finally told her." Sasuke sounded so lonely.

"I know Sasuke. I know."

"But she thinks it was just a dream." He turned to her.

"And to her it was. A wonderful dream where her Sasuke told her he loved her." Myra smiled. "But you have to go now and quickly."

"Do you have to hit me?" Sasuke stood in front of Myra.

"Well, if you want to wake you up, yes; if you want to return to your nightmare, no." Myra smirked.

"Hn." He had regained his cold demeanor. "Better hit me…" He braced himself.

Myra snickered. "Stay safe and say hello to Jugo for me." She reached back and slapped him fairly lightly, but hard enough to wake him from his sleep. He was blinking up at the moon at its peak in the sky, rubbing the spot where Myra had slapped him. He breathed in a sigh of relief and actually felt calm again.


	48. Lessons of the Spirit

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto (I made an offer and they laughed at me). Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 48: Lessons of the Spirit

Myra opened her eyes sleepily as she was being nudged awake by a smiling Sakura. "Good morning." The pink one whispered. "I see Naruto found a comfortable spot." Sakura giggled.

Myra took stock of all her limbs and found she had a few more than she needed. "I see what you mean." She yawned. Naruto had somehow tangled himself around Myra, making it difficult for her to move. With a bit of help from Sakura, Myra was able to untangle herself without waking him up. The blonde was still happily snoring when Myra stood up to stretch the kinks out of her back.

"So are you going back to sleep?" Myra started to walk towards the fire.

"Nope, I don't think I could sleep if I tried." Sakura said brightly.

Myra smirked. "You seem more cheerful than usual this morning."

"I slept really well and I had the most wonderful dream." Sakura smiled and sighed like a love sick puppy.

"I see…" Myra raised an eyebrow. "So does Sasuke know he has competition?"

"What?" Sakura paled. "Sasuke doesn't even remember I'm alive." The pink one hung her head sadly for a moment. "But it's ok, I will be there for him when he comes back, even if it's long enough to beat him to a bloody pulp." She smiled. "What should we make for breakfast?"

"Sakura, you are wicked evil. I knew I liked you." Myra grinned. "How about pancakes?"

"Sounds like a plan." The two kounoichi's got to work.

0 - 0 - 0

Two hours later, the smell of food wafted past Naruto's nose. Naruto found himself dreaming that he was being chased by a giant pancake. Just as the giant pancake was about to tackle him, he woke up to Sakura gently kicking him.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Naruto sat straight up and was rubbing the side of his leg.

Sakura smiled and handed him a short stack of pancakes. "No, but I thought you might be hungry."

The blonde eyed Sakura and the pancakes suspiciously. "Then why did you kick me?"

"Old habits die hard. Now eat." she shoved the plate in his hands.

Naruto took the plate and looked around the camp to see he and Sakura were the only two there. "Where is everyone?" He asked while shoveling pancake into his mouth.

"Myra and Rai-sensei went for an early morning work out after they ate a light breakfast. Konohamaru and gang went to watch." Sakura was starting to clean up the camp from breakfast.

Naruto practically inhaled the remainder of the pancakes, got dressed and was on his way to the clearing near the lake in matter of seconds. Naruto came out of the tree line.

"And here he is now." Myra said with a smile, looking down at her watch. "I told you he was on his way."

There were shocked expressions on two of the three youngsters. Konohamaru was the only one still looking cocky and unimpressed. "I could sense him coming a mile away."

Myra took a deep breath. "That isn't the point. You were sensing with chakra that he was coming. Had Naruto been suppressing his chakra, you may very well not have noticed him at all. Chakra is not the end all be all of tracking someone. There are other ways."

Naruto crossed his arms and joined the class. "Yes and you said you would teach me how you did that."

"Well, you're here now, shut up and listen. Everyone sit down." They all sat down on the mossy grass. Myra stayed standing and started to pace. "Good. Now relax, close your eyes and empty your mind of all thought. You have to have a calm mind for this to work. If you are having a problem clearing your mind of thought, focus on your heart beat and breathing, specifically the rhythm of your heart and how your breathing ebbs and flows. Don't try to stop the rhythm or alter it, because you can if you concentrate hard enough, just listen."

They were sitting there with eyes closed. Konohamaru and Naruto seemed to be having the most difficulty calming. Moegi and Udon were doing the best. However, Myra simply thought that Udon had fallen asleep, so she allowed him to stay that way. Naruto focused on his heart beat and his breathing.

This exercise was more difficult than they had expected. Myra was still standing over the four with crossed arms and a smug grin. "Now, one by one open yourself to the sounds around you. Start small, like the sounds of the water. Then try to hear the wind in the trees. Focus on each sound."

Myra slowly walked past each one of them. Konohamaru wasn't as calm as he was pretending. He felt silly, stupid and like he was wasting his time. Moegi was more calm than Myra expected. The Ravenheart girl raised an eyebrow and smiled.

As Myra got to Udon, she found he really was asleep. There was an urge to kick the young teen, but thought best to scare him later. Myra came to stand behind Naruto. She had expected it would be a struggle for him to calm.

Naruto was having a tough time calming down to a point of stillness. The only time he was ever that calm was when he was unconscious. Myra knelt down beside him, and placed a very warm hand on his chest. "This should help, but you need to learn to calm down on your own should you actually want to learn this."

Naruto nodded and felt her chakra pulsate through him. A calming feeling washed over him. He felt euphoric and content with the world around him. Naruto finally relaxed and calmed down enough to feel his center. It was an odd place for him to be. Everything made sense there. His mind wasn't a jumble of unanswered questions, never ending scenarios, or the Fox.

Myra smiled as she stood up to walk back to the front of the group. "Now here is the hard part. Try to feel the person next to you. Not with your chakra but with your other senses. Try to extend your sense of touch, taste, smell, vision, hearing and spirit. "

Konohamaru opened one eye. "Spirit? What's that got to do with tracking?"

"It has a lot to do with tracking when you know what to look for. Now shush." Myra crossed her arms and waited. She didn't expect anyone to understand the first time around. Spirit tracking takes time and lots of training to get to a point to even sense the spirit. Myra had an advantage that made it almost easy.

"Myra, I can feel a little tingle in my arms, is that what I'm supposed to feel?" Moegi questioned.

"Close, Moegi, that's a good start. I didn't expect anyone to be able to do it on the first try." Myra beamed.

Naruto concentrated on his senses, trying to reach out. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do or if he should be doing anything at all. Then the pads of his fingers started to tingle, his mouth went dry with the taste of earth, the sound of the water became deafening, his nose was assaulted by the smell of forest, and though his eyes were closed he could see an array of color. Naruto turned his head and saw the color change and shift as he turned his head.

Myra smirked when she felt Naruto reach out. He didn't reach with his hands; she felt his spirit touch hers. Myra closed her eyes and focused on Naruto; she allowed her own spirit reach out and touch his. The reaction was a little more than she had anticipated.

Naruto saw the purple glow coming towards him. It was warm, comforting and most of all, it was familiar. It came closer and he saw blue flame like tendril flick past him, spreading towards the purple glow. The purple glow extended a tendril of its own. For a split second of exquisite eternity, blue and purple intertwined.

Naruto hadn't felt anything like this. There was no description he could give it. He knew in that instant he was touching Myra's spirit. He could feel her. The immense pride for having come this far in one day; her unbridled passion and love for him; a hatred and fear for someone unknown to him or her; and the deep sadness she carried for the loss of her loved ones.

There was more to it; underneath the purple was a deep blood red glow that was faint. Naruto tried to reach it and see what it was. But as he tried an orange tendril shot out of him and pushed the purple glow back. Naruto heard Myra scream and his eyes shot open.

Myra was ten yards away lying motionless on the ground. Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi were cowering behind a tree. Naruto was standing in the center of a large chard out circle. The last thing Naruto saw before he collapsed was the terrified face of Sakura running towards Myra.

Rai had come out of the tree line just in time to catch Naruto before the blonde hit the ground. "What the HELL happened?!"

Edgar and Poe swooped out of the trees. Poe landed near the unconscious Myra, and Edgar walked the chard circle left by Naruto.

"_Looks as if Myra tried to teach Pretty Boy how to see with his spirit and it, or I should say the Fox, back lashed."_ Edgar tilted his head up to Rai.

"_Edgar is right. The seal keeps the demon contained physically and keeps his chakra at bay, but the Fox's spirit is allowed free rein. This is why the Fox can freely communicate with the boy. The Fox's spirit is intact and just as powerful."_ Poe looked at Rai with sad eyes.

Rai turned to the three teens. "You three, go back to the camp site and start packing up. We will leave as soon as we are packed."

The three didn't say anything, but they nodded. Moegi and Udon hurried back to camp. Konohamaru stayed for a second. "Is Naruto-niisan and Usagi-nechan going to be ok?"

Rai laid Naruto out on the ground. "I can't answer that yet Konohamaru-kun. I'm not even sure what really happened. Go… Take care of your team." Konohamaru nodded, took one last look at Naruto and Myra, and headed back to camp. Rai turned to Edgar. "Go with them and keep an eye on them."

The great black bird nodded and the great bird took flight to keep an eye on his charges. Rai looked over to where Sakura was tending to Myra. It didn't look good as far as Rai was concerned. He looked into the face of the blonde boy lying on the ground. "Don't make me wrong about you boy. I could never forgive myself if I were."


	49. Very Little Time

Chapter 49:

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warning: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult themes.

Chapter 49: Very little time

Sakura turned Myra over to assess the damage. There was no sign of bleeding or trauma, it looked like a minor bump on the head and surface scratches. Myra was breathing normally, but she was unresponsive to any stimuli.

Poe hopped to the other side of Myra. _"How is she?"_

Sakura jumped slightly at the sound of Poe's voice in her mind. "She is bumped and bruised, but she seems to be ok. I think Myra has a concussion."

"_The unfortunate thing is, Child, it is more than a concussion. It is not something that you can heal."_ Poe tilted her head.

"What can I do for her?" Sakura pleaded.

"_I do not know if anything can be done. Myra is lost. She must find herself and return on her own."_ Poe looked over to the edge of the forest near the lake and took flight. The raven disappeared in the tree tops.

"Lost? Lost where?" Sakura seemed shocked.

"Don't fret about it now Sakura, we need to get Naruto and Myra back to the village. Naruto should come around in a few minutes. He isn't as hurt as Myra is." Rai was upset, but still staying calm.

"Poe said Myra was lost, what does that mean?" Sakura asked tentatively.

Rai scooped up his daughter's limp body. "I will get Myra back to the hospital. You bring Naruto and the kids."

"Rai-sama, please tell me. I want to know how I can help."

"Myra's spirit has been separated from her body. I'm not going to lie to you, it doesn't look good. I just hope when Naruto wakes up we can find out what happened."

0 - 0 - 0

"_**Wake up Brat!"**_

"What did you do?"

"_**That isn't important, you need to wake up."**_

"You attacked her! Why!? Why would you do that? Do you really hate everything that much?"

"_**It was an accident Naruto. I didn't mean to harm her."**_

The cage came into focus. Standing behind the gates was a sad looking Fox demon. _**"I didn't want to hurt Myra."**_ The great beast turned away from the bars and sulked at the very back of his cage.

Naruto stood on the other side of the bars, eyes wide with shock and confusion. "Then what the HELL happened?"

"_**I touched her."**_ There was resounding regret in the Fox's tone.

"Touched her? More like you slammed her across the clearing. She was unconscious, for all I know she could be dead! And here I am stuck with YOU! I wish I never met you!"

"_**I have caused you pain and misery, and I do not regret it. You are my prison, and it is my duty as your captive to torment you."**_

"FUCK YOU!"

"_**I deserve that."**_

Naruto stood before the cage dumb struck. "Who are you? And what have you done with the Fox?"

A large vain began to bulge over the Fox's eye. _**"Do not make me explain everything. You just need to wake up."**_

Naruto's eye popped open. His eyes focused on a concerned looking Sakura. Naruto sat up and regretted doing it so fast.

"Don't move so quickly. How do you feel?" Sakura was calm, but Naruto knew her well enough to know, something was wrong.

"Where is she?" Naruto looked around.

Sakura looked away from Naruto. "Rai-sensei has taken Myra back to the village. We are to finish packing and head back."

Naruto hung his head. "It's bad isn't it?"

"Don't think about it now, let's get back to the village and we can worry about it then." Sakura stood up.

Naruto grabbed her wrist. "Don't lie to me Sakura."

Sakura didn't smile. "It's not good Naruto."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Myra opened her eyes and immediately closed them again. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the intense sunlight beaming down on her. She allowed her eyes to re adjust to the blinding light. When Myra's vision came into focus, she was lying in on a hard stone surface. She shook her head to clear out the cob webs and focus on what had happened.

The Ravenheart girl looked around and did not recognize her surroundings. She was at the base of a Shinto temple she had never seen before. _"Where am I?"_ She thought, not expecting an answer.

Standing at the top of the steps was a woman dressed in a blood red kimono. She was statuesque, with long black hair, and very violet eyes. "We are at the Uchiha family shrine, Myra. We are here so I may show you."

"Show me what?" Myra was standing up.

"It is time for you to know."

Myra walked the last remaining stairs to stand next to the woman. "I hate this cryptic bullshit."

"Truth be told, I did not care for it much either. Life is a journey, not a destination." The woman shrugged.

"You sound like Poe." Myra crossed her arms.

"It should sound like Rhyme. It is something she told me a long time ago." The woman put a hand on Myra shoulder. There was a warm familiar sensation that tingled through Myra.

"Am I dead?" Myra looked a tad frightened.

"No, dear child, but you are in the Ethereal. And here you must stay until I have told you all I need to tell. I do not have much time." The woman gestured to enter the temple.

"Who are you?" Myra tilted her head.

"I am Miyako Uchiha. Or, I should say, I am the remnant of Miyako Uchiha, placed within you to give you the tools you will need to do what you must. Come, we must enter the temple." They started walking.

"Gramma?" The Ravenheart girl raised an eyebrow.

"Great grandmother actually." Miyako pushed open the door. "Come, we have much to discuss, and very little time."

Myra stood outside the doors of the temple, hesitant to go in. "Are you sure I'm not dead?"

"For the last time, you are not dead. If you must know, you are very much unconscious. If Fox had not given me the nudge I needed, I would not be able to speak with you." Miyako pulled Myra inside the temple.

"Nudge? That was a nudge? Felt more like a bus." Myra rubbed the back of her head. They were standing in the main temple. Miyako put her hands together as if praying and bowed. She stayed that way until Myra got the idea and did the same. The both stood up together.

"It was more like he allowed me the energy needed to warn you." The woman walked farther into the temple.

Myra followed. "Warn me about what?"

Miyako stopped walking and gazed at the floor. "I must warn you of the Old One. He is going to try and do what he failed to do eighty years ago."

"Ok… Who is this… Old One?" Myra raised an eyebrow.

Miyako took a deep breath before she turned to Myra. "His name is Madera and he was consumed by Power and Greed. He was a co-founder of Konoha, the founder of the great Uchiha clan and the master mind of the Uchiha massacre. He was supposedly defeated at the Valley of the End, but it was not so.

"Madera survived using a jutsu that forced his spirit into another. Early on, he found that the only a blood relative could contain his spirit for any length of time. Madera has forced his will upon Uchiha after Uchiha using the body until nothing was left.

"The body that currently contains Madera is dying. He is in need of another body and he will need it soon. Originally, the Uchiha massacre was to serve two purposes. One: Madera's sick and twisted way of weeding out those he thought inferior. Two: Revenge on the family that abandoned him. Madera created the unrest in the Uchiha family. Madera whispered to council the notions the family had to be stopped to avoid open civil war.

"He even went as far as to pick Itachi to be the instrument of his evil plot. Itachi was supposed to be Madera's next victim. However, Itachi had other plans. It was Itachi that spared Sasuke in the hopes that he would one day rid the world of Madera's evil. Itachi wasn't able to warn Sasuke until it was too late. The last male Uchiha almost fell victim to Madera's evil darkness, but something kept Madera at bay.

"You did well to fan the flames of hope within Sasuke, but in doing so you have made Madera aware of you. You are in grave danger Myra. Madera will stop at nothing to have you. Stay close to Naruto, the Fox, and Sasuke."

"Hold it! Why does this Madera person want me?"

"Think girl! Besides the fact that you have Uchiha blood running in your veins, you have a power which he has always coveted. Your will is strong, but his is stronger. He could take possession of you. Or, he would only have to wait but nine months. Madera has waited more than twenty years for a new body, what's another nine months."

"That's just gross... On several levels." Myra looked disgusted.

"There is more."

"MORE! I don't know if I can handle more." Myra slouched and put her head in her hand.

"The Fox... How is he?" There was a sad look in Miyako's eyes.

"I don't know. Wouldn't you need to ask him that question?" Myra turned head to look away.

"He was not always a vicious demon. He was once a benevolent protector of humanity. But he was betrayed by humanity and he now despises the life he once protected." Miyako hung her head.

"Let me guess... Madera." Myra groused.

Miyako turned towards the alter of the shrine. "Not entirely. I betrayed him. I led him to Madera, who used his Mangekyo Sharingan to take control of Fox. The Fox became corrupted by Madera's sinister wants and desires.

"I did not want to believe the Fox could do such evil, nor did I ever wish to witness that evil. So I left my family and my home for the safety of a new life. I never forgot my promise to the Fox and I hope he will forgive me for my betrayal."

Myra looked at Miyako with raised eyebrows. "You and the Fox were lovers?"

Miyako smiled wistfully. "I was in love with the man the Fox was. He had become human to learn the human condition and understand what he was protecting. To be human is to understand humanity. We fell in love and here in the Ethereal is where we consummated that love, forever binding us together."

"So what I feel for Naruto is a lie?" Myra looked very angry.

"No, your feelings are very real. Yes they are amplified because I am a part of you and the Fox is a part of Naruto, but they are real and genuine." Miyako clutched at her heart and started to fall. Myra stood up and rushed over to Miyako. The woman in red clutched onto Myra.

"There is not much time left Myra, you must help Naruto and the Fox become whole. They must reconcile their differences. Only as one can they hope to defeat Madera. And only with Sasuke can he even attempt to try." There was flicker in the dreamscape and Myra could feel her own consciousness coming closer.

Mirako pulled Myra closer to her. "I will not be able to help you again. My purpose was to warn you and guide you from afar. Have Sasuke teach you the ways of Sharingan, it will keep you from Madera's grasp."

Myra started to cry. "No… Don't go yet, I'm not ready for this."

Miyako put her hand on Myra's cheek. "You must be ready. Stay safe my daughter and keep those you love safe."

The woman in the red kimono faded into bright sparkles that floated around Myra for a moment. One by one, the twinkle of lights were absorbed into Myra. Myra clutch at her own heart and understood. Miyako had always been there watching and guiding her. Myra shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

When Myra opened her eyes they focused on the darkness of the sterile room. There was no light in the room, except for the pale moonlight casting shadows on white walls. The beeping of the monitor assaulted her ears. Myra took another deep breath and slowly sat up.

0 – 0 – 0

The nurse's station in the ICU ward at night was usually calm and nothing happened. Ino yawned and stretched to get the kink out her back. It had been a long three weeks for everyone. Sakura had been taking extra duty at the hospital to keep an eye on the sleeping Myra. The hardest hit had been Naruto. He would come in everyday after training alone, stay with Myra for a few hours, then leave. The only time Naruto hadn't come to visit was when he was on a mission for a few days.

Rai-sensei had brought Sephie and Gaara, who seemed inseparable in the last few weeks, to visit every few days. The only person Ino couldn't place was the old woman. She seemed familiar, but every time Ino had tried to get a good look at the woman, her face would become lost in the crowd.

Ino pick up the clip board and went to check on the few patients in the ward. Myra was the last room on the left. As Ino got closer to the room, something felt strange. The blonde girl quickened her pace when she heard the shrill single note of Myra's monitor. Her heart had stopped. Ino rushed into the private room to find the window open, and Myra gone.


	50. Three weeks is a long time

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warning: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult themes.

Chapter 50: Three weeks is a long time

Naruto lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. It was another night he couldn't sleep. It had been three weeks since the accident that left Myra in a coma, and he still blamed himself. The Fox hadn't said a word to him in those three weeks. Not a single outburst of anger or a snide comment. It had been strange for the first few days of silence, but as the days stretched in to weeks, Naruto had started to feel more alone.

The blonde boy had settled back into a routine. Getting up early; training alone for a few hours; sitting with Myra; and then off to bed to start all over. There had been a mission. Once or twice Gaara had insisted he go out and have a little fun, but Naruto didn't want to have fun. He wanted Myra to wake up. But who was going to say "no" to Gaara, especially when the usually private Gaara wanted to go out. Even though Naruto felt like the third wheel at the dinners with Gaara and Sephie, he would go and at least pretend to have a good time.

Naruto turned on his side and closed his eyes. He would fall asleep eventually. The blonde let his breathing even out and he tried to slow his heart beat. He wanted to find that calm place were everything made sense again, but nothing made sense right now. His whole world had been happy for once and now there was only him and his empty apartment.

There was a creak of his balcony doors that caused Naruto to open his eyes and roll out of bed. He looked into the kitchen to see the balcony doors had blown open with a breeze. He grumbled a few curses under his breath and got out of bed to shut the doors. He took a minute to look at the Hokage monument. He started to think of Myra being cooped up in that hospital, and wondered if there was a way to take her out, just for a little while.

Naruto finally shut the doors and started to walk back to his room. In the darkness he saw a figure standing in his bedroom. Then he sensed her presence for the first time in three long weeks. Myra was standing in his bedroom waiting for him. Naruto took a few tentative steps towards her. "Are you a dream?"

"No." Myra shook her head and took a step closer to him.

"Are you a ghost?" He raised a weary eyebrow.

"No." She let out a teary chuckle.

"Then, you're really here?" Naruto reached out and put a hand on her cheek. Her face was wet from the tears she had been crying, and cold from the night air.

Myra leaned head into his touch. "I wanted to see you before I was bombarded by everyone else."

He took his hand away from her cheek and dropped his hand limply at his side. "I'm sorry." He gazed at the floor.

"There is nothing for you to be sorry about. Don't spoil things by having regrets. I ran away from a hospital to see you, please be at least happy to see me." She wrapped her arms around him.

He held her tightly. She was cold from being out in the cool spring air and wearing only a hospital gown. "You shouldn't have run away from the hospital. They will look here first." He grabbed his blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her.

"I know, I'll get a lecture from a few people and I won't care. I got to see you first and that's all I wanted." She put her head on his chest and sighed deeply.

There was a loud banging on Naruto's door. "Naruto! Wake up! Myra is missing and everyone has been called to the Hokage's office." It was Sakura's voice. She seemed panicked and concerned.

"You want to open the door? Or should I?" Myra whispered.

"You're in enough trouble Rabbit." He adjusted the blanket around Myra. "And as much as I want you to stay here, you need to go back to the hospital."

"NARUTO! WAKE UP! DON'T MAKE BE BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR!" Sakura shouted from the other side of the door.

"Better open it before she actually breaks down the door." Myra looked up at Naruto.

Naruto gazed into her chocolate eyes, not wanting to look away. "If I look away, you'll disappear."

"I'm not a figment of your imagination, Love." Myra knitted her fingers with his. "I'll go with you to open the door." Naruto nodded, and they both walked to the door. Myra stood behind Naruto, hiding from Sakura. Myra nodded to Naruto when she was ready for him to open the door.

"It's about time. Get dressed and we'll hurry over to the Hokage's office." Sakura sounded concerned and a little panicked.

"I don't think there is a need to hurry." Naruto smirked.

"In case you didn't hear me the first time, Myra is missing."

Naruto had a large grin on his face and he tried to pull Myra out from behind him and nearly ripped off his boxers in the process. "She was right here, I swear and I was going to take her back to the hospital."

Sakura released Naruto from the simple binding jutsu Myra had used. Sakura looked at the floor behind the door. "You don't think she's running around naked do you?" Sakura bent down to pick up the hospital gown.

Something inside Naruto started to churn. He didn't like that thought at all. "I hope not, but it would be easy to follow the trail of nose bleeds." Naruto grumbled.

Sakura chuckled. "Why would she come here just to run off again?"

"I don't know." Naruto shrugged. He turned to his dresser to find clothes to go on the search. He found his drawers slightly askew and some clothes missing. Naruto frowned.

Sakura looked over his shoulder. "I'm confused… She came here to see you, stole your clothes, and took off again?"

Naruto clenched his fists. "What the hell is going on?"

Akamaru bounded into Naruto's apartment, pouncing on Naruto in the process. The blonde was sprawled on the floor, while the large dog checked the rest of the apartment. Naruto grumbled as he stood back up. Akamaru sat on his haunches at Naruto's feet, whining sadly. Kiba had skidded to a halt at Naruto's door just in time to translate for Akamaru.

"He says that Myra's trail ends in your apartment and all he can smell is you." Kiba looked just as confused. Then he smacked his forehead. "GOD DANMIT! She's scent masking!" Naruto and Sakura raised a confused eyebrow at Kiba.

"Myra came here, I can smell her all over you," The Inuzuka nodded to Naruto, "and I can't tell where you end and she begins. She is using your scent to mask her own. Boy when she doesn't want to be found, she doesn't want to be found." Kiba growled.

"I wonder what Myra's up to?" Naruto whispered to himself.

"But that will only work for so long, right?' Sakura asked hopefully.

"Yeah, but that means Naruto is stuck here." Kiba looked at Naruto.

"What? I can't stay here! I need to be out there looking with the rest of you."

"Look Naruto, if she is scent masking as you, and you are out searching for her, me, Akamaru and the other ninja hounds are going to pick up on you. If you stay in one place and tell me where you've been today, we can look for you in all the other places you HAVEN'T been today." Kiba shook his head.

Naruto sighed deeply. "I was here, at training ground four and five, the dojo, the hospital, and Ichiraku's."

"Good, Akamaru and I will start looking everywhere else for her. Come on Akamaru." The great white dog ran out the apartment door. Kiba gave Naruto a nod and headed off after Akamaru.

Sakura put her hand on Naruto's shoulder. "We'll find her, and I will tell Lady Tsunade why you aren't at the meeting." She smiled and closed the door behind her.

Naruto walked over to his bed. There was an empty can of soda lying on the floor that he stared for a moment. Then he kicked it as hard as he could. The can bounced off the walls and was finally stopped by Myra catching it in her hand.

"Careful there, you could hurt someone doing that." Myra smirked. She had stepped out of his bathroom wearing his clothes.

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "You are going to be the death of me."

"I highly doubt that."

"What the hell are you thinking?" Naruto stood up. "You are in shit loads of trouble, and now you are dragging me down with you."

"How can I be in trouble? It's not like I needed to be at the hospital. By the way… I'm starving, have you managed to stock your fridge?" She walked into the kitchen.

"Myra, the Fox hit with something and you've been unconscious." He stood up to follow her.

Myra opened the fridge. "I know, I figured that out when I opened my eyes."

"For three weeks." Naruto had his arms crossed and he was leaning against the door to the kitchen.

Myra looked at Naruto from behind the refrigerator door. "Well that would explain why I'm starving." She went back to scrounging in his fridge.

"Myra..."

"Don't you have any veggies?" She pulled out something that looked like lunch meat, made a funny face at it and tossed it in the trash can. She closed the fridge, "please tell me you have food other than ramen?"

"Myra..." He was actually getting slightly annoyed.

"Think you could sneak next door and see what's in my fridge?" She shut the fridge door and smiled at him.

"RABBIT!" He dropped his arms to the side and glared at her.

"What?!"

"You need to go back to the hospital." He kept his glare.

"What for, I feel fine." Myra shrugged. "They are going to look over me, poke and prod, find nothing wrong and no physical cause for the coma and let me go. I'm just skipping all that." She whined.

"So you don't want to know why you've been out cold for almost a month." He raised an eyebrow.

"I know why I was unconscious, I just didn't know for how long." She started to rummage through his pantry.

"Why don't you let me know so I'm not so worried about it." He closed the pantry door.

"Edgar and Poe didn't say anything? My dad didn't say anything? I would think they would have told you what happened." She opened the pantry door again and found the jar of peanut butter.

"They never mentioned anything besides some mumbo jumbo about you being separated from your body and we just had to wait for you to come back."

"That's the short version, but an accurate description of a spirit quest." Myra nodded. She walked over to the fridge. "That's right! I remember why I came here in the first place." She started to glare at Naruto. "Foxy and I need to have a little chit chat." She had a very devious grin and Naruto got a little nervous.

The blonde started to scratch the back of his head. "Um, I haven't talked to him since the accident, so if you can get him to say something..."

Myra had closed her eyes and taken a deep breath. "I really hate doing things like this. I feel so slimy afterwards." She opened her eyes and Naruto stared right back into red sharingan.

"What's with the sharingan?" He said before her realized he was standing in front the Fox's cage. "I hated when the teme did this, but you dragging me here is just weird."

"Well excuse me, but I think you need to hear this too and I didn't want to wait. And I will be happy to tell Sasuke the next time I see him not to go poking around in your head." Myra was standing next to Naruto wearing the same blood red kimono Miyako had worn.

"Next time?" Naruto looked shocked.

"Fasten your seatbelts fellas, its going to be a bumpy ride." She did a decent imitation of Betty Davis.


	51. The Truth Comes Out

Normal

_Thought_

"Speech"

_**Kyuubi**_

Warning: For as much as it pains me to say this AGAIN… I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult material.

A/N: I would like to give a BIG shout out to ShyTan'ith! Besides being the one reader to review the MOST, she has become a good friend and has helped out when I get stuck. Sometimes it takes another set of eyes to look at a chapter tell me what I'm doing wrong or point me in a different direction. She has done it on a few occasions for me, and I thank her profusely.

Now… Let the plot thicken…

Chapter 51:The Truth Comes Out

"Next time?" Naruto had a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, next time." Myra smiled. There was a low rumbling growl as the girl walked towards the cage.

Naruto walked over to Myra. "What's this about a NEXT time? When was there a FIRST time?" the blonde spat venomously.

Myra looked towards the cage. "The morning I snuck into your apartment."

"_**Careful girl,"**_ The Fox snarled. _**"You wouldn't want to break your oath to that Uchiha bastard now, would you?"**_ The great beasts head came into view on the other side of the bars.

Myra allowed her lip to curl into a smirk. "I haven't said anything that would jeopardize that promise. Please, remind me, Oh Great and Powerful Lord of the Ethereal, what was it that I promised my dear cousin anyway?"

Naruto was standing back from Myra and the cage. He didn't know how or why the teme would come to his house, but he had some how been there. Naruto went over the events of that day. He had left the clone plushie of himself in her arms to alert him when he was awake. He had gotten back to his apartment in a matter of minutes. She was in the shower… "_WITH THE DOOR LOCKED! Could Sasuke have been hiding in the bathroom?"_ That thought nearly made his heart sink further into a pit of despair. Naruto let his thoughts wonder further down these dark paths while he continued to listen to the conversation between Myra and the Fox.

"_**You know all to well what promise you made that bastard Uchiha, young lady!"**_

"Do I?" Myra kept her smirk. "Won't you kindly remind this lowly maiden, which promise the wise and wondrous Kyuubi no Youko is referring to?" Myra bowed low before the cage.

"_**That you would not tell Naruto that you can find Sasuke anywhere and at anytime."**_ The Fox said with smug tone.

Naruto stood staring at Myra. When she turned to him looking like the cat that ate a canary, Naruto looked away. He didn't know what he was feeling at the moment. It teetered on the boarders of anger because she didn't share than kind of information, confusion as to why she could find Sasuke, and jealousy of the possibility that she and Sasuke… He wasn't going to think that. Myra was HIS RABBIT, but that didn't stop the flood of emotion.

Myra's heart sank and she turned back to the Fox. "And I didn't tell him."

The Fox shook his head. _**"Cleaver girl,"**_ the beast growled angrily. _**"The arrogant fowl know-it-all taught you well. You had me tell the Brat."**_ The Fox chuckled.

"You know where Sasuke is?" Naruto sounded rather angry.

Myra kept her gaze on the Fox. "Before I was unconscious, he was staying about five miles outside of the village. The night before the accident, he was two miles to the Northwest of our camp. I don't know where he is right this second. But if you must know, yes, I can find him with ease."

"_**You're in for it now girl. I am going to enjoy watching the misery you have brought him."**_ The Fox grinned.

"For years I have chased that teme. Every time I got close, he would disappear on me and I would have to start over." seethed Naruto. "Him and his goons nearly killed me, Sakura, and Kakashi the last time we caught up to them! You're here two days and he was on my DOORSTEP!"

"Actually he was in my dreams, or his nightmare, I haven't really figured out who called to whom." She turned to look at Naruto with a sad smile. He wasn't taking her confession as well as she had hoped.

"YOU DREAM ABOUT HIM!" The blonde yelled and the chamber shook.

Myra flinched and took a step back. She had never seen him this angry and it was a little unsettling to her. "Well… Yes… But is it isn't what you're thinking."

Naruto turned his back on her. "Do you love him too?" he braced himself for the truth. Myra had become one of the mass fangirls that fawned at the ice bastard's feet.

"Of course I love him! He's family. He is, for all purposes my BROTHER, in more ways than just the blood running in my veins." She tried to reach out to Naruto.

Naruto rounded on her pushing her arms away form him. "Then what am I to you?"

Myra looked at him and showed him a smile that brightened the room around her. "Everything. The sun in my day, the rain in my desert, the noodle in my ramen, the very air I breathe." Her voice was shaky and teary. But it was the truth that came from her heart.

"_**I may be sick."**_ The Fox gagged.

Naruto ignored the Fox and took a step closer to Myra. "Then why didn't you tell me that you could find Sasuke?" Tears were threatening to spill from his eyes. Naruto didn't understand why she wouldn't trust him.

Myra hugged herself and looked away from Naruto. "You were right on the monument that evening we got in the fight because of Sasuke. I don't like being compared to other people. I am my own person. Course I understand now why my grandfather would tell me I was a lot like my great grandmother." She smirked sadly for a moment. Then she turned to the Blonde, a slight anger in her eyes. "But everyone, including you, was making a big deal about Sasuke, like the sun shines out of his ass and how I should be JUST LIKE SASUKE! I honestly didn't want the fucktard around."

"_**Well said…"**_ The Fox chuckled.

Naruto shot a nasty glance at the Fox. "No one asked your opinion."

Myra leaned up against the wall. "Then I got to know you a little better and I got to know him a little better. He has his journey, you have yours, but now is a time when those paths have to cross." Myra seemed gloomy.

"_**Madara…"**_ The Fox growled.

Myra turned around to the Fox, putting her hands on the bars. "He knows I exist."

"Who's Madara?" Naruto asked.

"The short explanation is he's THE big bad nasty." Myra chuckled.

"I know I'm asking a lot of questions here, but why should this Madara person care that you exist?" Naruto shrugged.

"_**Uchiha blood runs in Myra's veins. Her sharingan abilities may not be as strong as Sasuke's, but she does have abilities that compliment the sharingan nicely."**_

Myra hugged herself again and shuttered. "Miyako had some gross ideas on what he might do to me."

"W-wha-What w-would he do?" Naruto asked apprehensively. He didn't like the sound of what Myra was implying.

Myra took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Take possession of my body at best. I REALLY don't want to think about what the worst could be."

The Fox snarled. _**"If you can find him girl, I will kill him once and for all and I will make sure there is no coming back from what I do to him."**_

"I don't want to find him. That's the point of all this. Miyako said I should stay close to Naruto, you…" Myra opened her eyes and looked directly at Naruto. "AND Sasuke. Which is why I have to tell my father, then I have to confess to Tsunade. It isn't going to be fun and I am going to need help. I don't know if Sasuke is ready to come back to the village yet." Myra took a step closer to Naruto. "But I don't think he's got much of a choice."

"How long would it take for you to find him?" Naruto grinned.

"A few minutes, depends on where he is." Myra shrugged.

"When do we leave?" The blonde gave Myra a cold look.

"_**He goes… I go… Myra, do you think Sasuke will put up much of a fight?"**_ The Fox seemed agitated and started to pace the cage.

"I don't know." regretted Myra. "I'll just have to ask him the next time I see him." Myra was going to take another step closer to Naruto when she started to wobble. Naruto moved to catch her and he was standing back in the kitchen.

0 – 0 – 0

The blonde wrapped his arms around Myra and found that she was still very cold. He made sure she was steady on her feet and then pushed her to arms length. He was still angry and confused, but he wasn't going to turn his back on her. "You're going back to the hospital."

Myra shook her head. "I'm just very hungry. A little food and I should be ok."

Naruto sat her at the dining room table. "Damn it girl, you WILL go back to the hospital after you eat something." Naruto glared at her and his tone was extremely commanding. Myra thought about protesting.

"_I agree with him, you don't look so good."_

Myra knew that voice, and kept calm. "Alright, I'll go back to the hospital after I eat something."

Naruto walked over to his stove and turned on the water. "All I have is ramen."

"I told you not to tell me that." She groused. Myra's hairs on the back of her neck went up and she could sense Sasuke's presence on the balcony. _"And you call me crazy."_

"_I wanted to be sure you were ok."_ Sasuke smirked.

"_I'm touched. How long have you been in the village?"_ Myra knocked over the sugar jar on the table and started to draw circles.

"_Off and on since your accident. I saw the dobe's chakra flare out and knock you half way across the clearing. I was… worried and I didn't like it. I came to check on you every once and a while. Damn Ino nearly followed me to the west gate. There is something that's been bugging me and I can't help but think something's different."_ Sasuke kept to the shadows of the balcony so not to be seen. He was keeping his chakra suppressed so Naruto wouldn't notice. Sasuke had already conceded that Myra could sense him no matter what he did.

Myra stretched and yawned. _"There is a lot that's different now."_

"_I need to ask you about something."_ Sasuke did a quick sweep of the area to make sure there was no one around.

Naruto was opening looking through his pantry of ramen. "Pork, beef, miso, what kind of Ramen do you want."

"Surprise me." Myra let out a long breath. _"Sasuke, there is only so much I can do for you while you're still a missing nin. If everyone works together we may be able to find things faster. You've obviously come to a dead end. You've been sitting around the forest sulking for God only knows how long. What harm would it do you to ask for a little help from your friends?"_ Myra smirked at the table.

"_I can't come back. I burnt that bridge a long time ago. I thought I had broken those bonds, I had to, and I know now it was a mistake. I nearly killed Naruto and Sakura getting away from them. They aren't going to want me back."_ Sasuke hung his head.

"Pick one?" Naruto was holding the pork and miso behind his back.

"The left one." Myra was looking directly at Naruto. _"I wouldn't be too sure of that. Sakura did say she would always love you. Dream or not, Brother, it came from her heart. I can feel your remorse, your love for her, and how much you actually miss Naruto's antics. Mostly your love for Sakura, it's kind of overwhelming. The emotions you've been denying yourself for so long have become a fire that will not stop spreading. You weren't in the village because you were checking on me; you were in the village to see Sakura. I was just the excuse."_

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto gave her half a smile. "Pork ramen it is."

"_**There is something you need to know Brat."**_ The Fox sounded warm for a change.

"_Great more news."_ Naruto was still confused about everything that was going on. His world had been shattered the moment Myra had ran into it, now everything was continuing to spiral out of control. He was standing next to the stove waiting for the water to boil.

"_**She needs you, now more than ever."**_ The Fox said with a note of concern that startled Naruto.

"_Out with it already, you do care… Not that I blame you."_ Naruto kept still as possible so not to alert Myra he was having a conversation with the Fox.

"_**It goes much deeper than you think Brat. I do… Care… Don't go spreading it around. You'll ruin my reputation as a merciless demon."**_ The Fox hung his head.

"_I don't get any of this shit."_ Naruto heard the sounds of the water beginning to boil.

"_**Long story Kit. All of it, centers around Madara and his greed for power. I became a pawn in his power scheme."**_ The great beast growled.

Naruto chuckled internally. _"You a pawn? I thought you were a King?"_

"_**Rage blinds us to the truth. I was not in my right mind when Madara put his collar on me."**_ The Fox snarled. Being so honest with Naruto wasn't what he wanted to do, but Naruto needed to hear. Though the Fox didn't want to admit to anything, he had become slightly attached to his host.

Naruto started to make the ramen for Myra._ "What changed you?"_

"_**At the first test of trust, the woman I loved hesitated and my human heart shattered. That is all you need know about that. Madara used my own anger and contempt for humanity to fuel my desire to destroy what I once protected. I still do not trust mankind."**_

Naruto stopped pouring the water into the bowl. _"Wait… You were human?"_

"_**Enough for now Kit… See to Myra. She needs you right now. I will always be here."**_ The Fox's voice sounded ominous and faded behind the mental doors. Naruto blinked. Something didn't sit well with the Fox's words. It was almost like a warning.

Naruto shook it off and looked over at Myra at the table. She was looking rather please with herself drawing something on the table. Naruto picked up the bowl of ramen and walked over to her. Myra made no movement and said nothing. She quickly removed her hands from the table before Naruto set down the bowl of ramen.

He looked down at the table. On the table, written in spilt sugar was "Open the balcony doors, quietly, quickly, and don't say a word until AFTER you open the doors". Naruto looked back at her and she glanced at the doors. The blonde tilted his head.

"Thanks for the ramen." Myra smiled and started to slurp.

Naruto didn't get why she would want him to open the doors, she could have gotten up and done it herself. He shrugged and opened the balcony doors.

Sasuke stood on Naruto's balcony with his arms crossed, looking cocky and uncaring as ever. He shook his head. "Crazy bitch…"

"Silly Fucktard…" Myra grinned.

Naruto glared at Sasuke and growled. "TEME…"

"Dobe…" Sasuke chuckled.

"BULLWINKLE!" Myra shouted and started laughing hysterically.

Naruto and Sasuke turned slowly to stare at Myra with a raise eyebrow. Myra stopped laughing and looked a little sheepish. "Look… I found him." She said with a wide toothy grin.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

**contest:** Ok people.. Thought of something fun I might do... If you can tell me where the end scene of this chapter came from in the review... You get a sneak peak of the next chapter. If this works out, I might come up with another contest like this. Meanwhile... Have fun and keep reading.


	52. Lost and Found

Normal

_Thought_

"Speech"

_**Kyuubi**_

Warning: I don't own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 52: Lost and Found

Sasuke looked as if he was going to jump off the balcony and run for it. Naruto looked like he was ready to chase Sasuke down and kill him if he tried. Myra was just trying to finish eating her ramen. There were a few tense moments when the only thing that could be heard was Myra eating her ramen.

"Hn." Sasuke turned his back on both of them, positioning himself to jump off the balcony. _"I knew I couldn't trust you."_

"Sure you can trust me!" Myra still had a large toothy grin on her face. Both the boys turned to glare at Myra. "Have I lied to either of you? Have I once said anything dishonest? Or done anything that would in any way cause you to think of me as deceptive?"

There was unanimous and resounding "YES!" from Sasuke and Naruto.

"Wow… That was unexpected." Myra pursed her lips. "Well fine then…" Myra picked up her bowl of ramen. "I'll just let you two beat the fuck out of each other and be done with it." Myra started to walk into the other room. "See if I care about either of you ingrates." She yelled from bedroom.

Sasuke smirked at Naruto. "So…"

"So…" Naruto gazed at the floor.

"You're supposed to kiss and make up for Pete's sake!" Myra yelled jokingly from the other room. Sasuke and Naruto scowled at that thought. Sasuke couldn't help remember that accidental moment at the academy before the genin teams were picked. Just as Sasuke could stop the image in his mind, Myra was standing at the door of the kitchen with a crazy grin on her face.

Sasuke put his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "I don't want to talk about it."

Naruto looked at Sasuke confused. "You don't want to talk about what?"

Myra was trying to stifle her laughter. "I bet that went over like a lead balloon."

"You have no idea." Sasuke groused.

"It explains a lot about the relationship you two have." Myra snickered.

Naruto's ears turned red as he realized what they were talking about. He growled momentarily and pointed into the other room. "YOU." He glared at Myra. "GO. EAT RAMEN."

Myra narrowed her eyes at Naruto and thought about protesting being kicked out of the kitchen. She wanted to stay and make snide comments. Sasuke shot her a nasty glare. Myra rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. "Hn. Yes your Majesty… I bow to your will, your Majesty." And she bowed out of the kitchen.

"_**About DAMN time!"**_ The Fox cheered.

"Air you breathe… HA!" The blonde grumbled.

Sasuke shook his head and started to take position like he was going to jump off the balcony.

"Sasuke, wait…" Naruto started. "I got every reason to beat you to a bloody pulp and make you stay. I really don't want to face the wrath of Sakura after I do." Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Knowing Sakura, she would just heal you up just to beat the shit out of you herself."

Sasuke tried not to smirk. "Hn." He didn't move from the balcony.

"I don't know if you and Itachi had it out yet and I really don't care. Ok, so I do, cause I would like to kill him just for causing this whole mess to begin with. But we need you back Sasuke. Sakura needs you. I just want my friend back." Naruto looked at Sasuke with determination, hoping he could finally reach him.

"You're such a looser…" Sasuke got off the railing of the balcony and shook his head. "You can't do anything right with out me around anyway…"

Naruto gave Sasuke his trademark foxy grin and slapped him on the back. "Welcome back."

Sasuke gave Naruto an annoyed glare. "You ever hit Myra like that again, and I will kill you where you stand."

"And if you break Sakura's heart again, I will kill you where you stand." Naruto smirked.

"Dobe…"

"Teme…"

There were a few more moments of silence while both the boys expected Myra to make a sarcastic comment, but there was nothing coming from the bedroom. Naruto leaned back so he could see into the bedroom. "Myra?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. _"Myra?"_ There was no answer. Sasuke extended his senses to see if he could sense her. He hadn't figured out that he could sense her, the way Myra could sense him. Sasuke suspected there was a trick to it that he would eventually get her to teach him.

Sasuke and Naruto walked into the bedroom to find the empty bowl on the nightstand and Myra missing.

"Well isn't this just great." Naruto groused.

"She runs away a lot. What do you do to make her run from you?" Sasuke crossed his arms and glowered at Naruto.

"Hey, she doesn't run away. Granted she has a habit of disappearing, but she always comes back." Naruto shrugged and tried to open up his senses to her, thinking that maybe he could find her. That's when he heard the water running next door. The blonde walked into his bathroom and turned on the hot water.

A second later, they heard Myra's shrill scream from the other side of the wall. "YOU BASTARD!"

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a triumphant grin and turned off the hot water. "She's taking a shower."

"Hn." Sasuke glared at Naruto.

"So now what?" Naruto crossed his arms.

"I have to go get the rest of my group. They aren't going to be happy." Sasuke turned to head out the balcony.

"Why don't you wait until we get Myra back to the hospital, tell Sakura and then we go get the goons?"

"Hn. I'm not going to run off again, dobe. I would rather break it to them alone." Sasuke hung his head.

"And what happens if they don't like that idea?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

A smirk danced on Sasuke's face. "I guess I will have to make sure they get the idea."

"At least wait for Sakura. She will be very happy to see you." Naruto had that cheesy grin on his face.

"I don't know if I'm ready for that." Sasuke said honestly.

Myra entered through the kitchen braiding her hair and wearing her black low rider jeans, evil boots and a very tight mid drift t-shirt. She was also wearing her kunai holster and leaf insignia belt buckle. "Come on Pretty Boy, get dressed. I want to get to the hospital and get going before its too late."

Naruto jumped when she spoke. "Ok this is too weird." Myra and Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Well you're there," Naruto pointed to Sasuke, "and you're there." He pointed to Myra. "But I can't tell the difference."

"Maybe you should have Lady Tsunade check your eyes because there's a HUGE difference." Myra nodded.

Sasuke actually snickered, _"Damn right!"_ He was thinking about a certain part of his male anatomy.

Myra turned a very devious smile at Sasuke and allowed pictures of Tsunade running naked go through her head.

Sasuke immediately lost his smirk. "Don't EVER do that again."

Myra shrugged. "I won't if you won't."

Naruto was staring at them confused. "Can we get back to why I can't sense a difference between you two?"

"Really? I thought of all the people in the world, you would be able to sense the difference." Myra smiled.

"Myra, what's he talking about?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"This is why I don't rely on sensing chakra." Myra smirked. "The easy explanation is that Sasuke and I are twins."

"That's impossible." Naruto scoffed.

"You're right it is. Genetically we are nothing alike, but chakra wise we are identical." Myra finished braiding her hair.

"What?"

"Huh?"

Myra rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Listen closely because I'm only going to explain this once." Myra swung the thick plat of hair behind her. "Sasuke and I have the same chakra signature. If you take the wave pattern from my med chart and overlay on to Sasuke's, it's the same. Only a few people in this world would be able to perceive the difference. It's why I feel so familiar to Naruto and Sakura. It explains the dream sharing and the telepathy."

Sasuke kept his face mute of emotion. "But you can dream share with anyone right?"

Naruto grimaced at Myra. "You can dream share with ANYONE?"

Myra smiled weakly and let out a little laugh. "Most of the time… It takes close proximity. With Sasuke… It's at least a five mile radius."

Naruto glared at Myra who smiled for a few more moments, then she started to pout. "DAMN IT GIRL… Don't do that." Naruto growled. "It isn't going to get you out of trouble this time."

"You make it sound like I go poking my nose into other people's heads anytime it suits me." She whined.

"HN." Sasuke scoffed.

Myra shot a nasty look at Sasuke. "You were a completely different case." She crossed her arms defensively. "Look we aren't going to get anything done standing around here. For the time being…" Myra was cut off by a knock at the door.

"Naruto?" Sakura's voice came from the other side of the door. "Are you still awake?"

Myra looked over to Sasuke. _"It's now or never Bro. Out yourself to her and deal with that temper, or run for your life."_

Sasuke never looked so petrified in his life. He had faced Orochimaru, a transformed Naruto, Itachi, hordes of ninja, but nothing prepared him for opening that door and facing Sakura after so long.

The knocking turned to pounding when Sakura sensed Myra on the other side of the door. "NARUTO! Please tell me you and Myra aren't… You PERVERT!"

Myra looked over to Naruto who had turned a nice shade of red. Myra giggled softly. "I'm not going to say I didn't think about it and I'm still thinking about it."

Sasuke's eye started to twitch. "And you can QUIT thinking about it." He grumbled and started to walk towards the door. Myra and Naruto stayed in the kitchen out of harms way.

Sakura pounded on the door. "NARUTO! OPEN THIS DOOR!"

Sasuke took a deep breath and opened the door. Green met onyx for the first time face to face in years.

Sakura glared at Sasuke. "Ha ha ha. Very funny Naruto. I think you got his hair wrong, it was a little more duckish if I remember correctly. Where's Myra? I know she's here." Sakura pushed past Sasuke. There was a moment when she looked back at Sasuke and stared deep into his onyx eyes.

In the kitchen, Myra silently counted backwards from five. When she got to one, she pushed Naruto to the ground. Sasuke came flying through the kitchen door and hit the balcony railing with a thud, bending the metal bars.

"MYRA!" Sakura bellowed.

"Before I come out of hiding I would like to point out that you were the one that asked me to remove the memory." Myra stayed on the floor.

Sakura furiously stomped into the kitchen. "BUT YOU DID IT ANYWAY!"

Myra hid behind Naruto. The blonde looked nervously at Sakura. "Sakura-chan, please calm down. She just got out of the hospital… You wouldn't want to put her back there, now would you?"

Sasuke started to get up out of the tangled mass of metal. "Why the hell did you hit me?"

Sakura turned to Sasuke like a woman possessed. "THAT was for being a horse's ass and leaving." She stomped over to him and pulled him up by his collar. The pink one glared at the Uchiha menacingly for a moment and then planted a bruising kiss on his lips. Sakura warped her arms around his neck and Sasuke pulled her closer to him at her waist. Naruto and Myra just watched the two. Myra put her head on Naruto's shoulder.

"All is as it should be." Myra grinned.

Naruto put his arm around Myra. "I feel like I'm on top of the world. I got my best friend and girlfriend back all in the same day. Nothing could be better."

Myra raised a devious eyebrow. "I could think of something."

"_I told you to quit that."_ Sasuke was still in a lip lock with Sakura.

"_Shut up Fucktard, you're thinking it too."_ Myra grinned and pressed her lips to Naruto's.


	53. New Beginnings

Normal

_Thought_

"Speech"

_**Kyuubi**_

Warning: I don't own it… Blah blah blah… Rated "M" for language and Adult situations.

Chapter 53: New Beginnings

It had been almost a week since the triumphant return of the Uchiha, and he had been locked away from everyone, with the exception of a select few people. Myra had gotten a very long lecture from Tsunade, the council, Edgar, Poe and her father. Her punishment was something she didn't like, but she agreed to it. She was being supervised constantly by ANBU, she wasn't allowed out of the village until she had performed as many "D" missions as she could over the next week. "SLAVE DRIVER!" Myra screamed at Tsunade as Rai and Naruto dragged her out of Tsunade's office.

Sasuke hadn't been so lucky. He had been taken somewhere Tsunade couldn't say for debriefing. He was gone for three days. The council, though ecstatic to have the true heir of the Uchiha back in the village, couldn't look past the problems he had caused. He would be confined to the village for the next few weeks. After that, he couldn't go on a mission higher than a "B" and he would be supervised for a period of one year.

The highly publicized Ravenheart vs. Hyuuga match at the Chunin Exams had been canceled. The council had intervened and decided that Hiashi had no claim or need to continue with the match. Since the match had been a political ploy to seize control of the Uchiha council seat, Sasuke's return made the match unnecessary. At Sasuke's installment as part of the council and head of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke glared at the Hyuuga lord the entire time. Myra stood at Rai's side with an arrogant smirk on her face. Myra came out of the council meeting ready to burst at the seams. Sasuke was bored stiff and thought it was a waist of his time.

The finals of the Chunin Exams were right around the corner and Konoha was brimming with activity. Myra was lounging on the couch with her leg over the back of the couch. It was the first day where she actually didn't have anything to do. Naruto was off with Sasuke doing god only knows what,_ probably training or something like that, _she thought as she tapped her toe to a particularly catchy tune on her MP3 player.

She really hadn't gotten to see anyone in the last week. Myra had been busy with her own training, the stupid official stuff, and the "D" missions. There was a knock at her door and she didn't have to really do much to know who it was. Myra hopped off the couch and went to answer the door. The Ravenheart girl sighed. "What can I do for you Miss. Haruno?"

Sakura smiled brightly. "I thought you could use some company."

"Come on in." Myra took her head phones out and put her MP3 player on a table in the living room. "Would you like some tea, coffee, or water?"

Sakura shut the door behind her and slipped off her sandals. "Tea would be nice."

Myra headed for the kitchen. She could tell Sakura was pensive about something. Myra would be gentle and let Sakura bring it up.

The pink one followed Myra into the kitchen. "So… How have you been?"

"Good I guess… Your boss is a slave monger, but who am I to complain, I got myself into the mess in the first place." Myra smirked while she turned on the water for tea.

"I know what you mean. Lady Tsunade can be a bit of a grouch at times." Sakura giggled.

There was an awkward silence between them for a few moments before Myra couldn't take it anymore. "Ok Sakura… What's on your mind?"

Sakura looked out to the balcony and just sighed. "Lots of things, but mostly Sasuke."

"Is he being a cold fish?" Myra crossed her arms.

Sakura turned as pink as her hair. "No it isn't that. There are times…"

Myra held up her hand to stop Sakura from going any further. "I don't want to know. I would rather leave it to my imagination, and even then I have no want to know what my dear cousin is like in bed. He's more like my brother so it makes it even MORE creepy."

"He's still having nightmares." Sakura turned to Myra with a sad look.

"You're worried about him aren't you?" Myra tilted her head.

"I want to know what I can do to help."

Myra closed her eyes and sighed. "There are a thousand reasons he should be having them, and a thousand more why he shouldn't be." Myra opened her eyes. "Sasuke is an arrogant fucktard and wouldn't ask for help if his life depended on it, so I am going to be the sneaky, crazy bitch that I am and tell you what you need to do. Be his tether."

"A tether?"

"If he should have a nightmare and wake you up, put one hand on his chest over his heart and the other on his forehead. Concentrate a small amount of your chakra into him and remind him very gently that you are there and it's just a dream. His dream should change for the better and the nightmare will go away. But understand that the nightmares won't go away until Sasuke forgives himself for not stopping the murder of his family." Myra put a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"I wish I could understand the guilt he carries." Sakura choked back the tears that were welling behind her eyes.

The teapot sounded and Myra set out three glasses. "I understand it and I even feel a little of that guilt sometimes, but I don't beat myself up over it. Sasuke does and lets it fuel his actions at times. He's just now learning to let it go. Don't be so down about it. We have other things to think about."

Sakura counted the glass and blinked at Myra. "Like what?"

"Like what the three of us are going to do tonight." Myra poured the tea into the mugs, handed one to Sakura, grabbed the other two and headed for the door.

Sakura followed Myra curiously to the door. "The three of us?"

Myra turned and smiled wickedly. "Yep… The three of us…" Myra set one of the mugs down on the table next to the door and opened the door. She just stood there for a moment holding the mug of tea.

Sephie came into view and grabbed the mug of tea. "I hope you have some time off finally, cause I need some serious girl time."

"Nice to see you too Sephie." Myra smiled and picked up her mug off the table.

Sephie sipped at her tea and then smiled happily at Sakura. "Good day to you Sakura. How are you today?"

Sakura smiled back. "I see your language skills are improving."

"I'm a quick study and I have an awesome teacher." Sephie flopped on the couch. "Hey, do you want to go with us tonight?"

Sakura blinked. "Go where?"

"I found this cool little night club while exploring Konoha with Gaara. It's actually pretty happening with the locals. And here I thought there was no night life Konoha." Sephie sipped on her tea.

"But the finals start tomorrow morning. I can't be out late." Sakura protested.

Myra grinned. "Come on Sakura… Live a little. Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death. We're watching the Chunin exams tomorrow, not participating in them. There are only two matches I want to see anyway. I want to see Konohamaru's match and Moegi's match and that's about it. Other than that, I don't care."

Sephie just shrugged. "I'm with Myra on this one."

"Wait, won't Gaara want you with him when the Suna team takes the field?" Myra questioned Sephie.

"There isn't a team from Suna this year. Gaara and company have other reasons besides the Chunin exams to be in Konoha." Sephie grinned behind her mug. Sakura giggled.

"Ok… So then it's settled. A girl's night out it is." Myra smiled wide.

"What about the guys?" Sakura blinked at Myra.

Myra smiled devilishly. "What about them?"

0 – 0 – 0 – 0

A few hours past and the girls were ready. Myra fiddled with her cell phone while she was putting on her pair of evil boots. She slipped the phone into the space between her breasts. It was the only place to keep anything in the outfit she was wearing. Part of her hair had been braided and twisted into a bun, while there were other smaller braids that hung at the back of her head and off her face.

She had done her makeup so her face looked a little paler with purple eye shadow, very little cheek color and dark red lipstick. Myra had on a purple corset, black mini skirt, fishnet stocking and fishnet gloves. "We're going to be late if you don't hurry!" Myra called from her living room.

Sephie poked her head out of the bed room. Her hair was in classic pigtails, but more black and pink strands of yarn and other fabrics had been added to make it more suitable for a club. Her makeup matched Myra's with the exception of the pink eye shadow and brighter red lipstick. "I can't get her to come out."

Myra walked back to the bedroom. "Sakura, if you don't want to go, please say so now."

Sakura turned around to look at Myra. "I want to go… I just don't know about this." The pink one looked at her reflection in the mirror. Myra and Sephie had worked tirelessly over the last hour on Sakura. They had rifled through Myra's closet to find something for Sakura to wear. Luckily they had found something that DIDN'T clash with Sakura's hair. Sephie had commented earlier that "Sakura's hair was the perfect color for any club and we won't have to do much to it."

Myra and Sephie had pulled Sakura's hair off her face at the sides and given it an interesting spiked fan look. They left Sakura some bangs to cover the massive forehead. Sakura's makeup was subtle, because she really didn't need much. Sephie had used a little bit of green eye shadow and black eyeliner to bring out her sea green eyes. Then Sephie had found the perfect shade of pink lipstick to match Sakura's hair. They toped off everything with a mid thigh green cheongsam dress the same color of Sakura's eyes. Myra pulled out a pair of white gogo boots that worked well with the dress and fit Sakura.

"I don't say this about a woman often. But DAMN you look HOT." Myra teased.

"Thank you, but I don't…"

"Sakura, it will be fun. But I'm not going to push you into anything you don't want to do. If nothing else, go back to your apartment and wait for Sasuke on the couch. I guarantee you won't be in that dress for long." Myra grinned. Then Myra frowned. "But if you do that, and he rips that dress getting it off you… I won't be happy."

Sakura chuckled. "I'll remember that." She took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

"GOOD!" Sephie yelled. "Let's shake a leg."


	54. While the Cat's Away

Normal

_Thought_

"Speech"

_**Kyuubi**_

Warning: I don't own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 54: While the Cat's Away

Naruto opened the door to his apartment. He was not in the greatest of moods. The day had been spent with Sasuke putting up banners and other various Chunin Exam flyers all over the village. Manual labor is what Tsunade-ba-chan had called it. Myra had served her week of "detention" so she wasn't required to help with the heavy lifting. Sasuke and Naruto had helped a few others make sure the grand stadium was ready for the Chunin Exams the next day.

He was tired and sore, but he wanted to actually spend time with the girl next door. Naruto hit the shower and pondered what he and Myra would be doing this evening. A sly grin crossed his face and he started to move faster in the shower.

Naruto got out of the shower. He dressed in his favorite pair of green boxers and a white t-shirt. He was in the kitchen making him self some ramen when he heard his door open.

"Naruto?" Sasuke had taken to just barging into his apartment as of late.

Naruto grumbled something about learning to lock the door. "What the hell do you want teme?"

"Where's Sakura?" Sasuke demanded rather harshly.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I've been with you all damn day Sasuke, how the hell would I know where Sakura-chan is?"

Sasuke's eye twitched. "Well she isn't at her apartment, and she wasn't at the hospital, so I thought she would be here."

"Why would she be here?" Naruto looked confused.

"Hn." Sasuke turned and looked contemplative.

"For the last time teme… NOTHING ever happened between me and Sakura. I may have wanted to happen, but she was hung up on you." Naruto grumbled and rolled his eyes. "Besides, I got Myra… So quit worrying so damn much." The blonde crossed his arms.

"Hn. I'm not worried about Sakura… It's everyone else…" Sasuke muttered and looked towards the wall between Myra's and Naruto's apartment. He walked over to it and placed a hand on the wall. "Myra isn't home. I should be able to hear her."

"So she isn't home?" Naruto looked a bit crestfallen. "What's that supposed to mean besides that she isn't home?"

"Look dobe, no Sakura, no Myra…"

There was a breeze and Gaara was standing in Naruto's bedroom. "And no Persephone."

Naruto threw up his arms. "Don't you people ever knock anymore?"

"The door was open." Gaara said flatly and pointed. It was only a moment before Gaara and Sasuke locked gazes. Naruto raised worried eyebrows; he didn't need a fight breaking out in his apartment. Gaara smirked as did Sasuke.

"Uchiha, we never did get to finish that match." Gaara grinned.

"That's because I finished it for both of you." Naruto had a foxy grin on his face. Naruto jumped back a little when both Sasuke and Gaara turned to glare at the blonde. "Hey, it's all water under the bridge. We have other things to deal with right now." Naruto tried to remind them.

Gaara blinked and sighed. "I would have to agree. We all have something in common at this moment, missing companions."

"Should we assume they are together?" Sasuke put his hand on his chin.

"Beats me." Naruto shrugged.

"I came here thinking Persephone would want to spend time with Myra, now that most of her punishment is over. Persephone had been extremely down about not having… What did she call it? A clubbing buddy." Gaara blinked.

"Clubbing buddy?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

Sasuke looked confused. "What's a clubbing buddy?"

"I suspect it is a barbaric method of hunting." Gaara nodded.

"Um… Gaara… Persephone is normal… Why would she want to go hunting with clubs?" Naruto raised a curious eyebrow.

Sasuke turned to Naruto. "What do you mean by normal?"

"Persephone has no shinobi abilities. She can not mold or focus chakra in any way shape or form. Persephone does, however, posses a unique talent for reading people, but otherwise, she is, for lack of a better term, normal." Gaara explained.

Saskue shook his head. "Hn. That explains a lot about her."

"Sasuke, you're just upset that she didn't go gaga over you when you met her." Naruto teased. Gaara stifled his chuckle.

"Actually, I'm thankful." Sasuke groused.

"I know what you mean." Gaara nodded.

Naruto turned off the hot water that was now beginning to whistle. "Anyone else want some?" Naruto jumped again when the other two said "NO" rather loudly. "I was just being nice… Damn… Moody ass screw balls, barging into MY house… Worried about a bunch of girls getting together…" Naruto's thoughts trailed off as it dawned on him. "THIS could be bad."

"Hn. Now he gets it." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Took him long enough." Gaara chuckled. The all sat at the table in the center of Naruto's kitchen looking slightly perplexed. Actually, they looked pathetic. The three had matching grumpy faces and even Naruto's ramen didn't seem appetizing to him. They sat there silently thinking to themselves about how the other looked just as pathetic.

"Hey teme… Can't you do that thing that Myra does? You know… Find anyone or what ever it is?" Naruto asked.

"No… I've tried that already. I just get a really bad headache." Sasuke harrumphed.

"Has anyone tried calling them?" Gaara looked at Naruto.

Naruto smacked his forehead. "I COMPLETELY forgot about trying to call Myra." Naruto rushed to his dresser. Myra's father had given him a cell phone, but Naruto hadn't seen a real need to use it. So he had plugged it in and left it on the dresser. "Wait a second… Gaara, don't you have a phone?"

"I do not have access to one besides the one that Persephone uses. I had never seen a use for a cell phone until this evening." The Kazekage shrugged.

Naruto grabbed the orange and black cell phone from his dresser, taking it back into the kitchen. The three gathered around the small electronic device. The blonde gently opened the clam shell contraption and looked at the screen. "It says I have a message." He looked at the other two.

"Well dobe, what does the message say?"

"I don't know… The phone was just handed to me. No one gave me any training on how to use the damn thing." The blonde grumbled. It took them a few minutes of fighting and pushing several buttons to get to the text message that Myra had left for Naruto. It was simple and short. "PB, don't worry. Out w/BF & Pinky. Want to join? Ask Sandy. Dress civies/nice, bring Fucktard & Sandy."

Naruto looked up from the cell phone. "Must be some sort of coded message." Naruto passed the phone to Sasuke.

"I'm afraid to ask what "PB" stands for." Sasuke smirked.

"Pretty Boy." Gaara chuckled.

Sasuke covered his mouth to hide his laughter.

"Shut up Sandy…" Naruto groused.

"At least it isn't Fucktard." Gaara smirked. Naruto started to laugh impishly.

Sasuke stopped laughing. "Hn." He sighed. "It says to "Ask Sandy", so spill it Sandy."

"I do not have a clue." Gaara crossed his arms.

"Yes you do…" Naruto perked up. "You said that Sephie said she wanted a clubbing buddy. What if clubbing has to do with a night club?"

"You could be on to something there Naruto. There was this little spot in the civilian quarter of Konoha that Persephone and I found getting lost walking around. Persephone had mentioned to me she would have to go back when Myra awakened. She did something with her cell phone and then we continued on our walking tour." Gaara smirked.

"Do you remember where it is?" Naruto was hopeful.

"I believe so." Gaara blinked.

"Ok, that's part of the message. What about the rest?" Saskue continued to stare at the screen of the phone as if it would give him the answer.

"Well… Pinky is Sakura… And I think BF stands for Sephie." Naruto put his hand on his chin and stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth in contemplation. "So I guess that means that Myra is out with Sephie and Sakura."

"We figured that part out dobe… That was the easy part" Saskue grumbled.

"I also believe Myra is telling us to join them if we want to." Gaara nodded.

"That could be fun." The blonde smiled.

"Dress civies? What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke handed Naruto the phone.

"It means that we wear something that doesn't look like we're ninja teme. Gaara said it was in the civilian quarter of Konoha. So if we go in there looking like ninja, it could start trouble."

"I would happen to agree with Naruto." Gaara crossed his arms.

"Cool… I have to put shoes on and I'm ready." Naruto announced happily.

"She also said NICE." Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"This is nice…" Naruto sulked.

"Find something else to wear." Gaara grimaced. "I need to find something as well. I say we meet in front of the Hokage compound in twenty minutes?"

Sasuke and Naruto nodded.

0 – 0 – 0

Gaara waited outside the Hokage compound. He was leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed. Temari had started to giggle madly when Gaara came out of his room wearing the black slacks, tight fitting tan shirt, and black blazer. She smiled sweetly at him. "Loose the blazer and you'll look less conspicuous." So Gaara set the blazer aside and went to await his friend… and Sasuke.

He didn't wait long for Sasuke to arrive. The Uchiha had taken a simple approach to his clothing. He wore a blue button down shirt over a black mesh t-shirt and a pair of white jeans. Sasuke had left the blue shirt unbuttoned. He walked leisurely with his hands in his pockets and not a care in the world. Sasuke walked up to Gaara, nodded and leaned against the wall to wait for Naruto.

The Kazekage and Uchiha didn't say anything to each other. There wasn't anything to say. They didn't like each other and it wasn't a secret. Gaara still felt slightly disappointed he had never gotten to have a proper rematch with Sasuke. Sasuke never got to finish the first match. But those times had passed for the both of them and Naruto had been right. The blonde had finished the fight, changed Gaara's life for the better, and taught Sasuke something he still didn't understand.

There must have been something that clicked in their heads at the same time. Gaara looked over to Sasuke and the Uchiha just smirked.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted.

"As long as we understand each other, I shall bury the hatchet so to speak." Gaara smirked.

"What ever Sandy."

"Oi! Teme! Gaara!" Naruto was waving to his two friends. He was glad to see they hadn't mangled each other before he got there. The blonde ran up to the two. He too, had taken a simple approach to his attire. Naruto wore the deep red orange silk tuxedo shirt he had worn to the reception weeks earlier and black jeans. He had left the shirt un-tucked and buttoned all the buttons, except the top few. They all exchanged smirks, grins, and nods feeling satisfied with themselves. Gaara pushed off the wall and started to lead to way to the club in the civilian's quarter.


	55. The Mice Will Play

Normal

_Thought or Telepathic communication_

"Speech"

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I don't and never shall own Naruto. (If I did… Oh the things I would do with… I mean to… Well you get the idea…) Rated "M" for Adult situations and themes.

Chapter 55: The Mice Will Play

Myra led the way towards the club. Sakura and Sephie stayed a step behind her. The Ravenheart girl walked like she was on a cat walk, head held high and a confident, yet devious, grin on her face. Though there was a long line to get into the club, Myra bypassed the line and sauntered up to the front, closing her eyes and opening them again. There were some protests from the crowd that was in the line and a few glares from other women that had apparently tried the same tactic. The bouncer looked at Myra square in the eyes. His face went blank for a moment and he stepped aside to let the three pass through the doors.

Myra stopped just inside the doors and looked around at the dark club. Sephie came up behind her. "You know, I always wondered how we could get into any club we wanted to. Now that I know your little secret, it makes sense."

"Ha… Do me a favor? Don't tell my dad that I've been using genjutsu to sneak us into clubs. He'll probably kill me… or worse… Ground me again." Myra laughed.

"Do you think it was a good idea to use your sharingan to get into the club?" Sakura was clinging to Myra. Sakura was feeling out of place and unsure of her surroundings.

"Don't worry about it Pinky. We are here to have fun, mix with the peasantry, and dance until we drop. Or at least that's the plan for now. Should Naruto remember that he has a CELL phone, figure out how to use it, and decode my message, the plan may change to something even more… interesting." Myra giggled impishly.

"I say we find a table." Sephie pointed towards the back of the club.

"Good idea." Myra continued to walk further into the club. There were heads turning as the group walked. Sephie and Myra paid no attention to the turning heads and strange whispers. Sakura was beginning to become self conscious as they got to an empty table. The three sat down and staked claim on the table. Sephie nodded to Myra and got up. Myra was casually looking at the layout of the club, taking note of all the exits, entrances, and other things that she found useful should a fight break out.

Though there really wasn't anyone in the club that could pose a threat, that she could tell, Myra could tell there was a group of guys that had been watching the three since they walked in the door. There were four or five that she could count at the table. Some sort of gang of guys that never made it as ninja. She would keep her senses aware of them, but unless they made a move, she wasn't going to do anything about them.

Sakura was doing the same, but was a little distracted when she noticed their table was the topic of much conversation. "Myra…"

"Don't pay any attention to them. Let them think what they want to think. They know we aren't regulars, but we waltzed in here like we are. So they are confused by who we must be. Let them gossip." Myra shrugged.

Sephie came back with drinks. "Here we are… Soda's all around." She sat down.

"So now what?" Sakura asked.

"We have a little fun." Myra smiled and wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

Just then, a man walked up behind Myra. "Excuse me ladies…"

Sephie shot a disapproving look at Myra. Sakura had an odd, but polite smile on her face. Myra just smiled back at Sephie, then turned her smile to the tall, dark, and good looking guy. Myra nearly fell out of her chair, but kept her composure. There was a moment that Myra wanted to burst out into hysterical fits of laughter, but fought back the urge. "Hi there."

The man was well built, but there was something he lacked. Myra couldn't put her finger on it. He was dressed in a skin tight black muscle shirt and tight white pants. There was a spiral tattoo on his right shoulder that was obviously a fake. "I am Gakuya." He said confidently. "I'm an ANBU Captain, here undercover for an important mission."

Sakura was about to say something. "Ow…"

Myra had kicked Sakura under the table. "Really now… Sounds dangerous." Myra became interested. "What kind of mission?"

Gakuya looked around the club. "I could loose my life, just for talking to you."

Sephie was leaning over her soda and staring at Gakuya with a dreamy look in her eyes. "Well then you better not talk to us. I wouldn't want you getting hurt over us."

Sakura finally understood what Myra and Sephie were doing. He was a fraud. Gakuya was just trying to impress them. Sakura's demeanor shifted slightly. She was still very unsure of herself, but she was going to give it her best shot. "The last thing I want on my conscious is one of Konoha's finest being killed because of me."

Myra smiled very wide. Sakura had caught on and spoken brilliantly. Gakuya had puffed himself up to make him self look very important. "I plan on being very careful." He looked at Myra seriously. "But I am going to need your help if my mission is to succeed."

The Ravenheart girl raised a curious eyebrow. "And how exactly can I help you? I'm just a girl at a club, trying to enjoy my evening with my three friends. We came as a group." Myra smiled wickedly. "We leave as a group." Her voice was sickly seductive.

Sephie smiled brightly. "We do everything as a group."

Sakura matched Myra's wicked smile. "Do you think you can handle all three of us at once?"

Gakuya grinned a mile wide and sat on a chair backwards leaning on the table next to Myra. "This must be my lucky day."

"I'm sure it is." Myra smirked. "Hey Pinky… You think Gai-sensei would know him?"

"Or maybe Kurenai-sensei…" Sakura nodded.

Gakuya's face faltered slightly and he tried to recover. "Sure, I know them."

Sephie smiled. "Aren't they some of the best ANBU instructors?"

Gakuya kept his smirk. "They taught me everything I know."

Sakura and Myra just glanced between them. Sakura shook her head and Myra just sighed.

The man nodded his head and made some clicking noises with his tongue. "You knew I wasn't ANBU."

"Ah… Yeah." Sakura scoffed.

Myra pointed to the fake tattoo and whispered to him. "It's on the wrong shoulder."

Sephie smiled and shrugged. "I honestly didn't know and I didn't care."

"You guys played me." He stood up.

"Like a fiddle." Myra started to laugh.

Gakuya turned his back on the girls and walked off for parts unknown. The three burst in to hysterical fits of laughter.

"That. Was. Brilliant!" Myra said as she came up for air after laughing so hard.

Sephie nodded. She hadn't stopped laughing yet.

Sakura whipped a tear from her eye. "Is that something that happens often?"

"You mean the guys trying to be something their not to impress a pretty girl? ALL the time." Sephie had finally stopped laughing.

"I say we hit the dance floor for a little while. After that we have another round of drinks." Myra stood up.

"I-I-I'm not a very good dancer." Sakura looked horrified.

Sephie gave Sakura a happy smile. "Don't sweat it Sakura… It's dark and no one will notice."

"Just get on the dance floor and shake your tail feathers." Myra stood up. "Just stay close to me and Seph, mimic what we do and just relax and have fun."

0 – 0 – 0

It had been about thirty minutes when Myra pulled Sephie and Sakura off the dance floor. She glanced towards to doors of the club. "Well, well, well… It looks like we're going to have company."

"What's the plan boss?" Sephie grinned.

"Shouldn't we go meet them?" Sakura gave the other two a weak smile.

Myra thought about that. "We could, but what would be the fun in that?" She smirked.

"Hello pretties. Are you new here?" The voice was low and menacing. The hair on Myra's neck stood straight up and not in a good way. Sephie and Sakura both scowled at the man standing behind Myra. The Ravenheart girl took a quick breath to calm her nerves.

Myra turned. "Yes, this is our first time to THIS club." Sakura and Sephie nodded.

The man was about a head taller than Myra, stormy grey eyes, and dressed in all black. It seemed to be the theme of the gang Myra had spotted earlier. "Is that so? Well then you should know that it is policy for new comers to greet the Boss."

Sakura glared at the man. "Is that a policy for all new comers, or just the pretty ones?"

"Spunky aren't we? That kind of attitude will get you hurt Red. I suggest you learn to hold your tongue." The man smirked.

Myra smiled sweetly at the man. "What if we were to just leave?"

The man grabbed Myra's arm. "It would be unfortunate for something to happen to three unescorted ladies on the way home."

Sakura had clenched her fist. Myra shot Sakura a look and Sakura backed down. Myra pulled her arm out of the man's grasp. "Then can I ask for a moment to refresh and speak to my friends. You want us to look our best for your boss, don't you?"

"That's better." The man smirked.

The three girls made a quick bee line to the woman's restroom. Myra looked around and there were no exits other than the door they entered. "DAMN…"

Sakura glowered at Myra. "Why didn't you just let me knock the guy into next week?"

"Because I didn't want you to ruin that dress." Myra paced the bathroom chewing her bottom lip. "Besides, you lop of the HEAD of the snake, not its tail."

Sephie peaked out of the restroom door. "He's still out there waiting for us."

"He isn't going anywhere. He's going to stay there until we come out. I suspect he will only give a few minutes before he comes in after us." Myra continued to pace.

"Should we be worried?" Sakura asked.

"I'm not worried about them. I'm more worried about Sephie." Myra looked at Sephie.

"Don't worry about me… I told you… I've had an awesome teacher, two of them actually." Sephie grinned.

"What?" Myra raised an eyebrow.

"Temari and I had it out one day and I punched her. She recovered quickly and Gaara had to hold her back. Gaara said something to her and she backed off. Later that evening, Temari and I had a really long talk. She made some comment that I hit like a girl. Since then she has been teaching me basic self defense. With my cheerleading and gymnastics background I learned pretty quickly." Sephie smiled.

"Remind me to kiss Temari when we get out of this." Myra hugged Sephie. "Ok, here's the plan. The boys are on their way. They should be here in a few minutes. All we have to do is play nice with these guys until the boys get here. Now that doesn't mean give in, it just means be polite. Don't tip our hand just yet. I don't want to fight unless we have to. So Pinky, curb that temper. But if a guy touches you, you have my permission to pummel him."

Sakura got a sly grin on her face. "You want the boys to rescue us."

Myra got an evil smirk. "Now why would I want to do something like that?"


	56. Double Trouble

Normal

_Thought or Telepathic communication_

"Speech"

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I don't own Naruto. Rated "M" for Adult situations and themes.

Chapter 56: Double the Trouble

The three boys stared at the outside of the club. They could hear the pounding music and see the blinding rainbow of strobe lights flashing on the inside.

"They came here?" Naruto raised a worried eyebrow.

"Hn." Sasuke tried to focus in on Myra. _"Where are you?"_ He got nothing in response. The Uchiha didn't know if she was out of range, or just ignoring him. Either way, it was pissing him off.

"I don't like it either." Gaara growled.

"I don't know. This looks like it could be fun." Naruto shrugged

"So how do we get in?" The Kazekage mused.

"We stand in line?" Naruto suggested.

"Hn. I'm not waiting in that line." Saskue smirked. "We need a distraction." He turned to Naruto.

"What are you looking at me for?" Naruto groused.

"Clones… Have them go off over there and fight or something, that should distract the crowd long enough for us to get in." Sasuke glared.

"That's the dumbest idea you've come up with since you got back. Why don't YOU use a few clones and go beat yourself off?" The blonde scoffed.

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged heated glares for a moment. Gaara had walked over to a woman standing in line. "Excuse me ma'am, but have you seen three young ladies come past here in the last hour or so?"

The woman turned to address Gaara. She raked him over with her eyes and then raked over Sasuke and Naruto. "Sweety, you don't need a young lady, you need a woman."

Gaara raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Sasuke walked up and glared at the woman, who jumped back slightly. "My friend asked a question. Don't make me ask it again."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Look around here sweety, there are lots of young ladies. I need more specifics."

"A blonde, a brunette, and a red head…" Naruto started.

The woman started to laugh. "That's the beginning of a bad joke, sweety, just like the three of you."

Sasuke took a deep breath and was about to go off in the woman. Gaara looked as if he was about to do the same. The blonde saw sparks begin to crackle and sand begin to gather. Naruto pushed past his fuming friends, pulling out a fat toad wallet. The blonde shed a small tear when he pulled out several large bills and handed it to the woman. "Have you seen them now?"

The woman smirked. "Three chicks came here about an hour ago. They walked right up to the door and got in. I don't know how, but they got in. The one at the front, your brunette, walked in like she owned the place. The blonde and the red head went in after her."

Naruto gave the woman a foxy grin. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it…" The woman smiled and tucked the bills between her breasts.

Naruto turned back to Gaara and Sasuke. They both looked annoyed and a bit disappointed.

"Well?" Sasuke started.

"How did they get in?" Gaara tone demanded an answer.

"Ba-chan didn't know how they got in. She said they just walked in." Naruto shrugged.

"Hn." Sasuke smirked. "That Crazy Bitch… Come on, we're going in." Sasuke took the lead. The three walked straight up to the bouncer. Sasuke just glared at him, the bouncer's face went blank and the man stepped aside to let them in.

Sasuke stepped in and was flanked by Naruto and Gaara. "That's how they got in." growled the Uchiha.

"Myra used her…" Naruto was shocked.

"Yes, she did. I'll bitch at her later, trust me. Sharingan was not meant to be used as a method to get into a bar." Sasuke was getting angrier by the moment. He was also worried about Sakura. Something wasn't right in his world.

"Should we split up and look individually?" Gaara suggested.

"We'll cover more ground." Naruto nodded.

Sasuke took a deep breath and tried again. _"Where are you?"_

"_What took you so damn long? Did you wait in line or something?" _Myra groused at Saskue. There was something in her thoughts that troubled him.

Sasuke put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Wait. I found them." Gaara and Naruto nodded and waited for Sasuke to make a move. _"What trouble are you in now?"_

"_Oh, you know, the normal kind of trouble. We're in the video bar to your right… And Sasuke… Hurry."_

Sasuke pointed off towards the door on the right. "I don't like her tone of voice, there's trouble"

"Great! I could use a little action." Naruto grinned.

They entered the video bar. There was large space in the center for dancing and couches and tables set up around the dance floor. There was a round bar area off to left as they walked in and a door that led out to a patio near the back. Sasuke spotted Myra first. Naruto had spotted her too, as they got closer, they saw Sakura and Sephie.

Sasuke counted four, one pinning Sephie to a wall, two holding Myra, and the fourth sitting on a couch next to Sakura. Sasuke looked back at Gaara and nodded. Gaara started to get closer to Sephie. Sasuke was going to get closer to Sakura, and Naruto was going to get closer to Myra.

Myra was glaring at the man sitting on the couch. "I'm asking that you let them go. You don't need them."

"On the contrary, Ms. Ravenheart, I can use both of them for leverage. I know what Ravenheart Industry's policy is on kidnapping. They require proof of life. Your lovely pink friend will be the one sent with the ransom demand, and the second will be sent later as an eye witness to you life." The man sneered.

"Mr. Nakahara, I know you are a savvy business man, so I am going to make you an offer." Myra had noticed Gaara's sand beginning to collect at the base of Sephie's feet. Myra smirked. "Let us walk away or I am not responsible for the damage to your club, or the loss of your lives."

"Interesting offer, but I am done with talk. We're leaving." Mr. Nakahara grabbed Sakura's arm and stood up with her.

"Mr. Nakahara, I'm warning you one last time. Don't do this." Myra pleaded.

Mr. Nakahara chuckled evilly. "I am going to have too much fun breaking that spirit of yours."

Myra put her head down. "Then I am sorry about the destruction of your club. NOW!"

There was a burst of sand that pushed the man holding Sephie back into the dancing crowd. In the chaos, people started to scream and run for an exit. Sephie ran for Gaara. Sasuke was pushed back slightly by running bystanders and could not get to Sakura. Sephie saw the red fire alarm as she was running, skidded to a halt, and pulled it before she continued running towards Gaara. The entire club of people started to run towards the nearest exit.

Now that Sephie was safe from danger, Sakura pulled back and punched Mr. Nakahara into one of the two thugs holding Myra. Naruto had made it to the guy Gaara had push away from Sephie. The man was standing up and pulling something from the inside of his coat. The blonde deviated from his path to Myra and knocking the man back down. Naruto reached in the man's coat and pulled the semi-automatic weapon. He shook his head, pulled out the firing pin and clip making it useless. Naruto tossed the separate parts off to the side.

The man holding Myra reached in his coat to pull his weapon, while still trying to keep a hold of the struggling Myra. The brunette, managed to release herself from his grip and take his weapon. Myra hoped she wouldn't have to resort to such barbaric violence, but just in case, she took his extra clip as well. Myra put a well placed kick in his groin, to keep the man from getting back up any time soon.

Sasuke had finally made it to Sakura and was holding on to her for dear life. Myra had ducked behind the couch and table not far from the two. "No time for a happy reunion… There are bad guys that need ass kicking!"

Sasuke glared at Myra. "I'll deal with you later."

Myra just smirked. "Take a number and get in line." There was a burst of more gun fire from the area where Mr. Nakahara and his associate fell. They had apparently, gotten up and armed themselves. The man had sprayed gun fire from left to right. Sasuke, Sakura, and Myra ducked low. Gaara used the sand as a defense for him and Sephie. Naruto dived behind the bar.

Mr. Nakahara had pulled his gun from his coat. "Mr. Costello, I believe it would be a good time to leave."

"Right Boss…" Mr. Costello sprayed another burst to keep everyone pinned down. Mr. Nakahara was heading for the patio exit, with Mr. Costello keeping everyone else from making a move.

The goon Naruto had kicked down was scrambling to get back up and join his boss. The one Myra had kicked was also scrambling to get up. The gun fire stopped for a moment. Sasuke looked at Sakura and touched her cheek. "Stay here." He glared at Myra. "You too, STAY."

Myra shot a glare at Sasuke. "Glory hog!"

Neither Sakura or Myra really saw what happened. They saw Sasuke stand up and flicker out of sight. They heard more gun fire and a serious of loud pops and yells. There were some more muffled fighting noises and then it all stopped. When the smoke cleared, Sasuke and Naruto were standing over three bloody and unconscious thugs.

Sakura peaked around the corner first. She looked back at Myra with a large grin. Myra stood up and felt a wave of relief that everyone was going to be fine, except the three thugs. Sakura stood up and ran over to Sasuke and Naruto, checking them over for injuries. Myra stood up and started to walk over to Naruto.

Sasuke pushed Sakura aside and turned his attention to Myra. "WHAT THE HELL!" Sasuke was the first to start braiding Myra.

"Mr. Nakahara is owner of the club. He was kind enough to give us an education in why one should not sneak into a club." Myra changed her demeanor and smiled. She looked over to Sephie and Sakura. "I think we learned our lesson, didn't we girls." Myra nodded, trying to push past Sasuke towards Naruto.

Sasuke grabbed her arm spinning her around. "You could have gotten Sakura hurt!"

"Or Persephone." Added Gaara when he joined the group in the middle of the dance floor.

Sakura and Sephie raised an eyebrow and glared at their boyfriends. Myra also raised an eyebrow. "Well, I must be chopped liver, because I could have gotten hurt too, but that obviously doesn't matter." The room started to get colder. Naruto was glaring at Myra in a way she had never seen before. Sephie grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her back.

"As much as I hate to admit it Myra, you could have gotten them into serious trouble." Naruto scolded.

"Oh, so you think this is my fault too." Myra rounded on Naruto. The room got colder and Sephie pulled Sakura back even further. Myra laughed and just shook her head. "Fine… What the fuck ever… You guys can clean up with out me…" Myra ran off in a huff.

Naruto sighed. It wasn't her fault this happened and he knew it. He was worried about her too and he had let Sasuke lead his anger about the situation. In the few moments he had to think about it, Naruto started to feel like a complete asshole. He wasn't the idiot, Sasuke was. Naruto turned and started to go after Myra.

Sasuke stopped him "Let her go." He said rather venomously.

"Let go of me teme!" Naruto growled.

Sakura walked over and slapped Sasuke, who was knocked back a step or three, letting go of Naruto. "You insensitive ICE CUBE!" Sakura yelled at Sasuke. "If ANYTHING, Myra was the one trying to keep us from getting hurt."

Naruto took off after Myra. Sasuke righted himself while resetting his jaw. "Hn."

Gaara looked over to Sephie. "Is this true?"

"Well, yeah. She wouldn't let them separate us. She was putting up a struggle, until that guy pinned me to the wall. That Nakahara man said that if she didn't struggle and go willingly, Sakura and I would be fine." Sephie blinked.

Sasuke was rubbing his jaw. "I saw you sitting next to that asshole." The Uchiha grumbled towards Sakura.

Sakura sighed and she raised her hand to Sasuke's jaw. "He had just decided to take all three of us." Sakura looked away from Sasuke for a moment. "At first he was going to let Sephie and I go and then take Myra off somewhere." Her hand started to glow a soft green.

"He was obviously going to change his mind when you three showed up." Sephie hugged Gaara's arm.

Sasuke hung his head slightly. "Why didn't she just say so?"

"Because you were too busy being angry at her." Sakura's hand stopped glowing, but she left her hand on his cheek.

"What do we do with these three?" Gaara kicked one of the fallen thugs.

"We wait for the clean up crew." Sasuke shrugged.

"What about Mr. Nakahara?" Sakura sighed.

"I don't know." Sasuke looked at the open patio door.

0 – 0 – 0

By the time Naruto got outside of the club, Myra had vanished yet again. He shook his head. "Damn it Rabbit!" He headed for home hoping she would be there.


	57. The Happy Family Secret

Normal

_Thought_

"Speech"

_**Kyuubi**_

Warning: I don't own it… Never have… Never will… Rated "M" for language, violence and adult themes.

Chapter 57: The Happy Family Secret

Myra wondered the village, not paying to much attention to where she was going. She stopped next the locked gates she had avoided since the moment she entered the village. Myra had never been near the Uchiha compound. But there was something about it that called to her now. Miyako had shown her the vision of the temple, so there had to be something there. Myra jumped over the chained fence with ease.

The streets had been recently cleaned. There were no family crests everywhere and it had been made a clean slate. Someone had been here and washed away the past with some carpentry to fix the buildings and a fresh coat of paint. Myra walked slowly down the streets.

Though she could not see them, she could feel the spirits of the past that still haunted the Uchiha family complex. There was an odd chill in the air and the whole place felt dead. _Was there ever happiness here?_ Myra thought. She continued down the streets until she came to a seemingly familiar house. She stopped, there was something inside she needed to see.

She placed a hand on the door and there was some life left in the house. Though weak, there was life here. Myra slid the door open and stepped inside. Flashes of memories that were not hers flooded her mind. She could hear children playing, woman chatting, men sparing, snippets of conversations, all the lives of the Uchiha clan that once inhabited the walls. Myra ran her hands along the smooth surfaces of the walls. The walls had been witness to the worst of evils and seemed to cry out for justice.

She walked past the living room, into the kitchen, and out the back door. The garden had once been full of life, but it was now dead from neglect. The long corridor to the main bedroom seemed ominous. Myra had to will herself to take step after step to get to the main bedroom. When she placed her hand on the door it was like she was frozen in place. Terror ran icy through her veins. She could not bring herself to open the door, but she had to see what was beyond those doors.

Myra slid open the doors as quickly as she could. There was nothing in the darkness of the night. The room was empty and Myra took a deep breath in relief. She stepped back on closed the doors. It had been an interesting trip down memory lane; however, the memories weren't hers. They had been Sasuke's.

She exited the house and headed for the Uchiha shrine. That was her main purpose here. She needed to know what was there. Miyako warned her of Madera and told her what she needed to do, but she had never given instruction on the "how" to do any of this. There had to be some answers somewhere. _If nothing else, I beat the information out of Edgar. Damn Spirit of Knowledge has to know something._

She walked to the temple stared at the torii gates of the shrine. She took a deep breath and started walking up the stone steps. It seemed to be the only place left untouched by the haphazard cleaning crew. Myra placed a cautious hand on the doors. The shrine pulsated with the energy of the spirits that dwelled in the area. They were drawn to the temple as she entered. She steadied her self and walked to the altar, kneeling and offered a silent prayer for those that had not yet passed beyond.

There was a cold chill that ran the length of her spine and Myra knew she wasn't alone in the shrine anymore. She took a deep breath. "What should I do?" she whispered to herself.

"What I taught you to do." The voice from the shadows continued to chill Myra to the bone.

Myra stayed in a kneeling position. "You haven't taught me anything."

"My dear girl, I taught you to kill in a way that no one can return from. I gave you the ability to destroy a person's very soul." He snickered. "I hear you use it well on those you think deserve it. Of course you have only used it once out of pure rage and contempt. But even then you couldn't go the last step to truly kill the boy. He still lingers, how sad that must be. It was never my intention, but I didn't count on your Empathic and Dream abilities being as strong as they are. Oh, that fateful evening so long ago I tore your brother's soul from his body while you watched." The shadow hissed. "I triggered your sharingan that evening. Emotional trauma will do that to an Uchiha. I should give credit where credit is due. You did stop me from taking possession of your brother."

"Go to hell."

"I've been there." The shadow chuckled.

"I know who and what you are, Madara, you can't scare me. There isn't going to be any haunting my nightmares anymore." Myra was trying not to get up and run screaming.

The shadow moved closer to the kneeling girl. "I never wanted to scare you. I want so much more for you." His cold hand brushed her check.

Myra pulled away from the cold touch of his hand "I'm sure you do. I will make sure I let my father know his parenting skills aren't up to your snuff." Myra seethed.

"Oh my dear girl, you have turned out to be more than I could have hoped for." Madara paced the temple. "I wouldn't chastise your father just yet."

"I'm sure you didn't come here to talk about parenting skills?" Myra spat.

"I wanted a chance to see my niece." Madara smirked behind the orange mask. He stopped pacing and leaned against the altar.

"If l didn't already know you were an evil bastard, I might actually believe you." Myra swallowed the bile churning in her stomach.

"I will have to admit you're more talkative than Sasuke or Itatchi." Madara crossed his arms. "I never thought I would miss intelligent conversation. Don't misunderstand me girl, the boys were very intelligent, just not very large on vocabulary."

"Is this where you tell me your evil plan in detail so I know exactly how to stop you, because honestly, right now isn't a good time for me. I'm not up to the witty banter." Myra sighed.

"My goal is simple and you already know what it is. I do not need to explain the "how" it would be a waist of your time and mine. Besides, I wouldn't want you to actually come up with a means to stop me. I am old enough to have grown out of the Uchiha overconfidence. However, I've become rather cynical and paranoid in my old age." Madara snickered.

"So is this where you drag me off somewhere and…" Myra took a deep breath.

Madara chuckled manically. "My dear girl, I am NOT a barbarian and I am not COMPLETELY with out a heart."

"Just soulless…" Myra muttered.

"And you say you're not up for witty banter." He stood up and touched her face again. Myra recoiled away from him. "I am actually here to make you a deal. Come with me willingly and no one you love has to die." Madara smirked.

"That's a load of crap." Myra shook her head and stood up. She would not look at him in the eye. She knew better than to do that. She kept her focus on his feet. "I go with you willingly and the people I love come after me and die in the process. It's a catch twenty-two. They choose to die for my return. No deal." She started to walk out.

"I had to at least try. As a parting gift I will give you what you came here for. In the garden out front is a stone. The stone is hollow and you want what is inside it, not that it will help you." Madara started to fade into the shadows. "I will be seeing you again." The last thing that faded in the darkness was Madara's glowing red eye.

As soon as Madara had faded, Myra rushed out to the front of the shrine and got rid of everything in her stomach for the last few years. She stood up and whipped her mouth clean, taking a moment to calm her nerves. Myra put her hand on the temple wall and felt the energy pulsate again. It soothed her stomach to know the spirits of her ancestors understood her pain.

The wind swept across the garden of the shrine and swirled around a large stone that seemed out of place amongst the others. Myra put her hands on the stone and it opened to reveal a small book. She pulled the book from its hiding place and inspected it. The book was an old hand written volume and it was written in English.

Myra opened to the first page and read the words hearing Miyako's voice as she read. _"As I leave this world for another, I leave my life for you. Learn from it and do with it what I could not. – Miyako Uchiha Ravenheart."_

0 – 0 – 0

Myra was sitting in the garden reading when her breasts started to vibrate. She jumped sky high before she remembered the hiding place for her cell phone. She pulled it out and looked at the caller id. Myra steeled herself and answered. "Yes father."

"Where are you?" The elder Ravenheart asked tersely.

"Outside."

"This is no time for being a smart ass. Your Grandfather called…" Rai's voice was businesslike.

"I thought you were on vacation… I thought I was out of service until this training crap was over." The girl grumbled.

"Not when we happen to be in the same village as the contract." Rai countered.

"Let me guess… Nobu Nakahara…" Myra rolled her eyes.

"Yes. I take it the recon mission didn't go as well as planned."

"He knew who I was. I played the silly rich party girl that likes to flirt with danger. The boys showed up and things got ugly." Myra sighed.

"I know. The clean up crew is at the club now arresting his associates. You know what you have to do. Nakahara is a wanted criminal and now he's marked. I already have the authorization from Tsunade and the Civilian Council." The elder Ravenheart sounded serious. "Unless you want me to do it?"

"No dad. I want this one. Nakahara has a few ghosts he needs to meet… One of them is a five year old little girl. I want to give her the justice she deserves." Myra stood up.

"What time do you think you will be home?" Rai sounded concerned.

"Not too late I hope. I will keep you posted."

"Good luck and come home safe." The line went dead.

Myra turned her phone off, tucked it back into place and stood up. Club clothes weren't the idea outfit for a hit, but they would have to do. She didn't have time to go back to the apartment and change.

0 – 0 – 0

Myra waited in the shadows on the hotel roof. He had come to a very seedy hotel that didn't look all that respectable. Myra opened her sense to feel out the Yakuza criminal. He was easy to find in his hotel room, packing his belongings.

Nakahara had tried and failed to kidnap an important member of the Ravenheart family. Ravenheart Industries didn't believe in turning the other cheek. The Yakuza didn't take well to failure so he was now a marked man. And worse, Konoha and Suna ninja knew he was in the village. It was only a matter of time before he would be very dead.

Running from death was the only option. Nakahara packed as much as he could as fast as he could. He was filling a briefcase with cash when he heard the foot falls in the other room. He pulled his hand gun from the holster at his side. He stood at the side of the door as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

A kunai came from the living area, knocking the gun from his hand and pinning his wrist to the wall. "Guns are useless." Myra's voice was icy and cold. She walked up to him and kicked the gun out of his reach.

Nakahara pulled the kunai out of his wrist and tried a desperate attempt to stab her with it. She caught his hand and punched him with the other knocking him back several feet. "You can't get out of this. I can't let you."

"Please… I'll pay you three times what they will." Nakahara cowered on the floor. "There, in the briefcase... Take it all, it's yours, just don't kill me." The man pleaded.

Myra smirked and walked over to the briefcase and opened it. "Hmm… Nice chunk of change"

"I knew you would see it my way." Nakahara smirked.

"I never see things anyway but my own and MY way is very different from the rest of the world." Myra took a breath. "Nobu Nakahara, you have been condemned by the Yakuza, Konohagakure, and those you have murdered in cold blood. You have the choice to take your own life and save yourself the end that I bring you." Myra kept her eyes on the briefcase.

"And if I refuse and kill you instead?" Nakahara stood up. The room was getting cold enough for him to see his breath.

"I don't think you understand." Myra looked up at him, her sharigan blazing red in her eyes. "You feel that cold? That cold is generated by the gathering of the ghosts of your victims that have not crossed into the hereafter."

Myra scanned the room to see fifty or more faces of people the man cowering before her had killed. This is why she hated using her sharingan. The Ethereal was the space between reality and the afterlife. It was a place where spirits of nature, demons, angels, and the dead roam. The sharingan could see through the veil between the worlds and she could see those that still lingered around places, people and things. Criminals like Nakahara had only fifty or so. Madara had thousands. Myra's stomach churned over again and she choked down the bile.

"They have come to wait for your death. If you cross on your terms they have no claim to drag you to the underworld. If I kill you, they will drag your soul to the underworld where it can never return." Myra walked closer. "The choice is yours." She held out the kunai.

"You are the Death Dealer. I tried to kidnap the Death Dealer, but I thought…" Nakahara was shocked.

"You thought that I was a helpless bitch… I remember. I warned you… I did everything I could to get you to reconsider and let it go, but you persisted." Myra gazed at her feet.

Nakahara grabbed the kunai from her and stabbed her. "Now I get to brag about killing Death…" He grinned.

Myra looked up at him with fire in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but the dead can't brag about anything." Myra stepped back from the man. The walls around him started to warp and the faces of those that he had killed faded into his vision. He looked down in horror as he saw his own body lying on the floor of the hotel room. A thin chakra thread that connected him to his body was clearly visible.

The spirits started to gather around him, clawing and scratching at Nakahara's soul. There was a scream of pain and anguish that no one could hear. Nakahara watched as Myra walked up to his body. With one swipe of the kunai, the thin blue chakra thread was cut. Myra closed her eyes and started to cry. It was over and Nakahara was gone to the unknown, dragged down by those he had killed.

The shell of the man she had been sent to kill lay on the floor drooling and a blank stare on his face. His heart was still beating and his chest would rise and fall with each breath. The man was dead, but his body hadn't figured it out yet. It would be a matter of hours or less until the body would expire. Myra closed the briefcase and pulled out her cell phone. Before she had pushed the power button to turn on the electronic device, she felt a small presence in the room. Myra closed her eyes again and opened her sharingan to see the little girl standing at her feet.

The little girl had tears on her face and was trying to tug on Myra's skirt. The Ravenheart girl kneeled down to look at the spirit face to face. "You can go home now. The man is gone. You don't have to stay here anymore." She tried to sooth the long dead spirit.

"_I don't know where my mommy is."_ The little girl cried.

"Was she with you?" Myra was holding back her own tears.

The little girl nodded. _"She was with me when he took us. I heard her scream and then I don't remember much after that."_ The girl started the sob more. _"Then I was stuck with that man for so long. The others kept an eye on me, but I never saw my mommy again."_

Poe fluttered to the window. Myra looked up to Poe. "Can you take her to where she needs to go?" Looking at the bird with sharingan activated was almost blinding. The bird was a glowing mass of bright blue light.

"_I can take the child. She will be safe with me."_ Poe cooed.

Myra smiled. "Go with Poe. She will take you where you need to be."

The little girl still looked very sad and scared. _"I want to stay with you."_

Myra looked over to Poe. The bird tiled her head. _"Child, I know you are scared, but your mother is waiting for you on the other side. She will be very happy to see you again."_

The sad teary face turned to happiness. _"My mommy is waiting?"_

"_Yes child, your mother is waiting."_ Poe answered.

The little girl smiled and the room started to warm up. Myra stood up and smiled down at the girl. "Safe journey to you."

"_Thank you."_ The girl hugged Myra's leg. Myra felt the cold of her spirit, but could also feel the warmth of the girl's happiness. Myra pushed at the girl to make her go with the bird sitting on the window sill. The little girl gave Myra one last smile and waved. The Ravenheart girl waved back and watched the two glowing balls of light leave the hotel room. Myra let her sharigan fade. As much as she hated using that jutsu, it was moments like this that almost made it worth it.

Myra took a deep breath and settled her nerves again. It had been one hell of a night. Picking up the pieces was going to be just as harrowing. She pushed the power button on her cell phone and waited for it to turn on. There were several messages from Naruto and Sephie. The brunette shook her head and sent the text to her father to let him know there was a body that needed pick up. With a firm grip on the briefcase, Myra exited the hotel room as easily as she had entered.


	58. It Isn't What It Seems

Naromal

Thought

"speech"

_**Kyuubi**_

Warning: I will never own it! I may want to, but I can't... Rated "M" for LEMON, Language and other Adult themes. You have been warned.

Chapter 58: It isn't what it seems

Rai was standing in the Hokage's office when his cell phone buzzed. He pulled it out and read the text from Myra. The man sighed heavily and turned to Tsunade. "It's done."

"How long has she been able to use this ability?" Tsunade glared back at the man.

"She has always been sensitive to the spirits around her, both living and dead. That is the problem with her empathy. The entire Ravenheart family is empathic to a certain degree, but woman of the Ravenheart family are more so than the men. You should know that her sharingan manifested the night of the Uchiha massacre.

"I have always suspected that she saw more of the massacre than she has ever let on. Now that I know about her connection with Sasuke, I know she saw more. If Madara is truly still alive, then I believe Myra may have accidentally seen how Madara has been able to switch bodies. So theoretically, she has known how to use the ability since she was six. As to how long she has been actively using it, since she started to apprentice as a Death Dealer three years ago." Rai said calmly.

"I should be furious with you, using a jutsu that can be considered forbidden as a means to make a buck here and there." The blonde Hokage fumed.

"Ravenheart Industries is more than a bunch of contract killers. While you and your shinobi are fighting secret wars, the civilians suffer. Ravenheart Industries has been there on more than one occasion to clean up the mess. We rebuild the buildings, repave the roads, provide care for the wounded, and feed the hungry. The Death Dealers came out of a need to help the police and local governments who were over run by the criminals that try to take advantage of the situation." Rai crossed his arms and stood his ground.

"That is not a justification for using ninja to police the masses." Tsunade pounded her fist on the desk.

"We do not police the masses. You have ANBU that deal with the criminals of the shinobi world. But what about the criminals of the regular world? You turn a blind eye to them because they aren't shinobi and they aren't worth your time. I deal with those criminals.

"What you don't seem to see, Lady Tsunade, is that regular folks need heroes too. There are the police and government that protect the regular people. Ravenheart Industries just gives them a leg up every now and again. Yes, we get paid to make sure a Yakuza, Mafia, or a criminal element disappears. R. I. provides the SAME services a hidden village does, but we have NO allegiances to a Kage or feudal lord. I have on occasion, made a Kage is aware of the situation. I have even sent a contract to a Kage, as you well know, believing it is out of the realm of R. I's capabilities to handle." Rai glared. "We pick and choose our contracts just as you pick and choose missions."

Tsunade sighed let that sink in. Rai was right. The civilian quarter had gone un-policed in recent years after the massacre. There was never enough in the budget of Konoha to reestablish the police force and for the most part, there was never a need until recently. "I may not agree with the reasoning, but I understand your position. What you do with your private company is your business. However, while Myra is in Konoha, she is considered a shinobi of Konoha and as the Hokage, I am declaring that jutsu forbidden. She will not be allowed to use it again while she is under my authority."

"I will agree to that, and I am sure Myra will as well. She doesn't like doing it anyway." Rai relaxed a little.

"One last thing… Why Death Dealer?" Tsnade smirked.

Rai shrugged. "I don't know when it started, but it sort of stuck. It's a big hit with urban legend and conspiracy freaks."

0 – 0 – 0

"I'm worried about Naruto." Sakura grumbled.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted his usual answer. He was leaning against the wall of Sakura's kitchen. "I'm sure he's fine."

"And how would you know Mr. Ice Cube? It isn't like you are in tune with everyone these days." Sakura was still upset with Sasuke and it showed with each slam of a pot, or hiss of the spatula against the meat in the pan.

"Sarcasm does not become you Sakura. Don't start picking up on that Crazy Bitch's attitude." Sasuke pushed off the wall and went to stand behind Sakura.

"Her name is MYRA…" Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Hn, she calls me worse." He shrugged and tried to wrap his arms around her.

"And I think you deserve it sometimes." Sakura pushed him off.

"What's your problem?"

Sakura shook her head. "I'm still mad at you."

"For what?" He stepped back confused.

"For being an idiot." Sakura snapped.

"Hn. She could have gotten you killed, and I'm the idiot?"

"I AM NOT WEAK!" Sakura threw the spatula at him.

Sasuke dodged the spatula with ease, but did take a moment to notice that it was imbedded in the wall behind him. He looked back at Sakura. "I never said you were."

"YES you DID and it seems you still think that I am." Sakura turned off the stove and started to storm out of the kitchen. "Make your own damn dinner because I'm not hungry anymore."

"Sakura…" Sasuke stormed after her. Sakura kept walking towards the bathroom. It was the only door in the apartment that had a lock. Not that it would keep him out for long. She slammed the door in his face and he heard the click of the lock. "Hn."

"Go away." Sakura's tearful voice came through the door.

Sasuke's eye twitched in annoyance. He wanted to break down the door and drag her out, but he knew better. His jaw was still a little sore from her slapping him earlier. "Sakura… I-I… I was worried Okay? Come out… I don't want to talk to a door."

The door didn't open, but he heard the click of the lock. Sasuke didn't know if that was an invitation to open the door or not. He took a deep breath, prepared himself for the worst, and opened the door. Sakura was standing by the sink whipping the make up off her face. "Sakura, I…" he fumbled over his words. "I know you aren't weak. I never thought you were. I KNOW you aren't now." He reflexively rubbed at his jaw.

Sakura spun around and glared at him. "We had everything under control. We were stalling for time until…"

"Until we got there, I know. But you shouldn't have been in that situation in the first place." He said hotly.

"Okay Uchiha… What were we supposed to do?" Sakura crossed her arms and tapped her foot waiting for an answer.

Sasuke went over the situation in his mind. There was a pang of guilt that ripped through him, that he wasn't there to protect Sakura from those thugs in the first place. As each scenario played out in his head, they all would end with the thugs beaten and bloody on the ground. A small smirk curled on his lips. "Hn."

Sakura glared at him. "And how many innocent people got hurt in the process of your brawl? How many bystanders got SHOT while armed men sprayed the crowd to get to you?"

Sasuke's smirk faded and his eyes went wide in surprise. There were no innocent people in his scenarios. There were only the bad guys hurting Sakura, HIS Sakura. It didn't matter to him who else got hurt as long as Sakura was safe. And that was the problem. The Uchiha lowered his head. "I'm… sorry…" He said in almost a whisper. "I… I just… Don't want to…"

Sakura wrapped her arms around him and held on to him. "It's alright Sasuke-kun. But you have to learn to trust me. Even I have to admit that Myra didn't plan everything so perfectly either. She didn't expect that Nakahara guy and his goons to recognize her, or be armed."

Sasuke pushed Sakura off of him. "Say that again…"

Sakura looked at him confused. "Which part?"

"The guy that got away… He recognized her?" Sasuke looked serious.

"Yes… He said he wanted to brag about kidnapping the heiress to Ravenheart Industries." Sakura blinked.

Sasuke's mind was a torrent of thought. His thoughts were interrupted by Sakura covering her mouth to stifle a giggle. "What?" Sasuke griped.

"Nothing… I just think its cute how your face kind of goes blank when you're deep in thought."

"Hn. I am not cute…" the Uchiha grumbled.

"Very cute." She teased.

"And you are annoying." He countered.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I am not." She huffed.

"Very annoying…" Sasuke growled, pulling her closer. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." His lips gingerly found hers before she could say anything else. His train of thought had been thoroughly derailed by Sakura and her DAMN giggle. He moved closer to her and kissed her again. This kiss was more passionate and deeper than before. Hands roamed over each body, pulling at the fabric covering various body parts.

It was only a matter of moments before they had kissed and pushed their way into the bedroom, leaving a trail of various items of clothing. Sakura had kept her promise to Myra and not allowed Sasuke to simply rip the dress off her when he couldn't find the zipper. There was a split second where he thought about just loving her with the dress on. That was a thought he would keep to himself and save for later.

Sasuke scooped Sakura up just long enough to drop her on the bed. He was being rather unceremonious about it this evening. Over the last week he had taken his time and made each moment count. Right now, he didn't want that. Neither did Sakura. As far as the pink one was concerned, he was taking the "I don't want to hurt you" thing a little too far. She was not a delicate flower, after all.

Sasuke walked to the end of the bed and crawled like a jungle cat up on top of her. For a moment he just stared at Sakura's naked form. He marveled at her. That tall, skinny, annoying fangirl, had become the object of his desires long before he had left the village. Her confession to him near the bench the night he left Konoha had almost made him stay. For the longest time, he never looked behind him in fear that if he did look back, he would find a pair of teary green eyes staring back at him. He had always thought of Sakura as pretty, but now she was beautiful. And she was his.

Sasuke leaned down and took Sakura in his arms and kissed her furiously. His hands worshiped every inch of her body sending Sakura in to spasms of ecstasy. Sakura relished in his touch and quaked with each kiss.

It wasn't long before he had positioned himself over her. Sasuke slipped his arms under her shoulders and buried his face into the crook of her neck. Sakura held on to him, digging her nails into his back. With one swift movement, he entered her. Sakura moaned with delight. Sasuke was slow and steady as if to make up for lost time.

"Kami, stop torturing me." Sakura growled.

"Hn." Sasuke smirked and need no further direction. He liked the idea of being called "Kami"; it inflated his ego more than Sakura could ever understand. He picked up the pace and increased the depth of each thrust. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed throughout the room. Sakura's breath became ragged and labored.

With one deep intake of breath, Sakura clamped down on Sasuke and released her pent up frustrations and anger out in one last gasp. It was only a few moments later that Sasuke reached his own release and collapsed on top of her.

If the phone hadn't started ringing, they may have fallen asleep that way, but duty called. Sakura kissed her lover on the shoulder. "I have to answer that."

"Why do you have one of those things anyway?" Sasuke grumbled.

"Because I'm head of day shift at the hospital, and they call me if they can't get to Lady Tsunade." Sakura smiled.

"Hn."

Sakura kissed him again. "I love you too."

Sasuke moved off of her begrudgingly. Sakura smiled at him coyly and got up to answer the phone. She picked up her bathrobe and hurriedly put it on before she walked into the kitchen to answer the phone. Sasuke laid back and tried to relax a little. He took a deep breath and started to think about the evening of events. Something came back to the front of his mind. That Nakahara guy had recognized Myra… But how and why, he still didn't understand. Myra wasn't in the Bingo Book, so that couldn't have been it. Ravenheart Industries, Sasuke had heard of once or twice, but he couldn't remember where.

Sakura ran back from the other room. "Get dressed." She was frantic.

Sasuke sat up. "What's wrong?"

"That Nakahara man was brought into the hospital." Sakura looked scared.

"Hn." He smirked.

Sakura had a grim look on her face. "He's dead, but he isn't." That didn't sit well with Sasuke at all.


	59. Shattered Hearts

0 – 0 – 0

Normal

_Thought_

"Speech"

_**Kyuubi**_

Warning: I don't own Naruto. Rated "M" for LOTS of language, adult themes and situations. You are now going to enter (Cue creepy music) "The Drama Zone"

Chapter 59: Shattered Hearts

Myra unlocked her door and set her keys on the side table. Her apartment was dark, but far from empty. She sighed heavily, set the briefcase down and flipped on her living room light. Myra didn't look at him. "I'm kind of tired Naruto, why don't you go home." Myra sat down on the floor to take off her boots.

"I tried to catch up to you after you stormed out of the club." He had been at her apartment for the last four and a half hours. Naruto had called seventeen times and left as many messages. He was not happy at all.

"That's nice to know. I'm sorry I missed you." She answered flippantly.

"You didn't need to run off like that… again." His voice was clam, quiet and hurt.

"You know what? Screw you…" She chuckled and shook her head. "I don't need this bullshit. I heard very clearly everyone's concerns. I'm a fuck up… I get it… Now leave." She tossed her boots off to the side and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Naruto sat there fuming at her and she could feel it. He was half tempted to walk out the door, but that wasn't going to solve anything. "Damn it Rabbit! Give Teme a little slack… Geez, we walk into a club thinking we were going to have a good time with our girls and we have to save them from a bunch of assholes." He stood up and walked towards her.

She stood up and glared at him. "You say that like we're a burden."

Naruto clenched his fists and growled. "You're not a burden." He kicked himself mentally. "Did you even think for a minute that maybe WE were worried? That I was worried?"

"I KNOW everyone was worried, scared, freaked out, mad, pissed, and let's not forget, angry as Hell. I'm empathic Pretty Boy, it's why I know these things." She tried to push past him towards the kitchen.

Naruto wouldn't let her pass. "A good leader should know when to fall back."

"Shit didn't go as planned, so I stalled for time. You know why? 'Cause I trusted you, Gaara, and FUCKTARD to come to the rescue when I realized that Sakura and I couldn't handle it on our own. Did that make a FUCKING bit of difference? No, I still got my ass handed to me cause someone MIGHT have gotten hurt." She side stepped him and walked towards the kitchen.

He looked at her completely dumbfounded. "You selfish spoiled BRAT."

Myra stopped dead in her tracks. "EXCUSE ME?" She turned to look at him with her eyebrows raised.

"You heard me… I called you a SELFISH. SPOILED. BRAT." Naruto was beyond pissed.

Myra just laughed at him and pointed at the door. "Get. OUT."

"What you can't take the truth?" He glared at her.

"What part of GET OUT did you NOT hear?" She was on the verge of tears.

"No, you are GOING to listen to me. I don't think you care one bit that your BEST FRIEND and SAKURA could have gotten hurt. You played a game with them and it didn't go YOUR way. So when times got tough you expected someone else to bail you out. It's what your good at. You get someone else to do your dirty work for you."

"Fuck you." Myra said very calmly as a tear slid down her cheek. "I have NEVER asked ANYONE to do MY dirty work for me." The apartment went cold and her eyes went just as cold.

"Then what happened?" He crossed his arms.

Myra looked at the ceiling and closed her eyes. "Tell you what? I'll leave if you're not going to." Myra started to head for the balcony.

"I am not going to let you run away!" He put a firm hand on her shoulder to stop her and nearly recoiled at the cold coming off her skin. She was icy to the touch and now that he was getting a better look at her, the only color on Myra's face was the makeup she wore.

Myra turned her eyes to him. He has seen that look before. Sasuke had given him that look at the Valley of the End. Her eyes were empty of all emotion, like all her life had been drained away and any reason to continue to breath was gone. Myra was a ghost of the person she was not thirty seconds before. "Let. Me. Go." Her voice was barely above a whisper and there was something in her tone that sent an eerie chill down Naruto's spine.

Naruto took his hand off her more as a reflex than because of her request. Myra turned and started to head for the balcony again. Myra stopped in the kitchen, and turned a very sad look to him. "For what it's worth… I'm sorry."

"Then tell me what happened." He took a few steps into the kitchen.

Myra took a deep breath and swallowed her tears. She wanted to tell him everything, but there was only so much she could say. She couldn't tell him it was supposed to be a recon mission to study a potential target. Myra couldn't tell him that she had to play innocent normal to keep the secret life she had been living for the last three years. The secret of being a paid assassin was looked down upon, even in the world of elite paid assassins. Her resolve to keep those secrets from him was fading fast. She took another deep breath and her resolve shattered like a crystal vase hitting a concrete floor.

0 - 0 - 0

Naruto sat on the couch with Myra's head in his lap. She had finally fallen asleep after letting everything out. She didn't tell him everything and Naruto knew it. There were parts of her story that didn't add up. Myra told him about the club being something fun she had planned for all of them. Someplace they could be normal couples, just having a good time and how she wanted to have some girl time with Sephie and Sakura. Myra explained that Mr. Nakahara had recognized Myra from an article in a "Fourtune 500" magazine about Ravenheart Industries.

The Ravenheart talked about how Mr. Nakahara was going kidnap her and use her to extort mass sums of money from her father. She sobbed about how she knew Naruto, Sasuke and Gaara were on the way and kept Sephie calm. Nakahara was going to take Myra and let Sephie and Sakura go, then he changed his mind right before the boys had arrived. By that time, Myra had realized people were going to get hurt no matter what happened. She was very glad it was the Yakuza men and not innocent people at the club, Sephie, Sakura, Naruto, or Gaara… And even Sasuke.

Naruto had been concerned about the mention of Yakuza in Konoha, but he would mention that to Ba-Chan when he had the chance. Myra was so relieved to see that boys. She was proud of Naruto and Gaara… And even Sasuke. Myra chuckled tearfully when she said it was a huge turn on to be rescued. Myra confessed that she wasn't upset about Sasuke being an ass. She was upset because Naruto had taken his side of things before even hearing her side of what happened.

Naruto had twitched a little when she mentioned it. They had this fight already, and he thought he had learned from it. There were always two sides to every story, especially when it came to Myra. He apologized and stroked her hair, urging her to continue.

The Ravenheart girl continued to tell Naruto about going to the Uchiha temple and finding the diary. And she had confessed about seeing Madara, the offer, being scared out of her mind, and half tempted to accept the offer. The mere mention of Madara's name made Myra queasy. Naruto didn't like it either. By this time Myra was slowly falling asleep in his lap. She had drifted off halfway through a sentence about talking to her dad. And that was it for her.

Naruto figured she had about an hour and a half or more missing from her story. Then there was the briefcase she had brought home with her. She neglected to mention where she got it, and what was in it. Naruto wanted to talk with Sasuke, but Myra needed him more than he needed to talk with Sasuke. Myra was still cold to the touch and that bothered Naruto as well.

"_**Warm bath..."**_ Sneezed the Fox.

"_Bless you..."_

"_**Put her in a warm bath, Brat."**_

"_I don't think this is the right time to think about that."_

"_**And you call me the gutter brain."**_ The Fox shook his head. _**"A bath will help warm up her body temperature. I doubt that she is going to wake up much, she's exhausted."**_

The blonde shook his head and chuckled lightly. He realized he was going to need some help with getting Myra in the tub. A team effort was going to make things easy. A hand sign and a series of pops created three extra Naruto's. One headed into the bathroom to start drawing the bath water. Another hit the bedroom to find Myra's bathrobe and a towel for him. The third helped the real Naruto undress the sleeping Myra, who hardly made a noise and didn't move while she was passed back and forth.

Myra was very much awake and aware of what Naruto was doing. Myra just didn't have the strength to resist, nor did she really want to resist. A bath sounded like a nice way to relax. Once she was undressed, Naruto scooped Myra up and carried her into the bathroom. The other two clones had dissipated when their task was complete, but the last of the clones stood in the bathroom waiting. The real Naruto passed the naked Myra to the clone, while the real blonde disrobed.

The soaking tub was about four feet wide by six feet long by four feet deep and filled almost to the top with water and bubbles. The real Naruto glared at his clone. "You get to clean up the water later."

The clone rolled his eyes. "What ever…"

Naruto shook his head. There was no point in arguing with him self. Naruto slipped into the water and it was a little warmer than Naruto had expected, but as cold as Myra was, the water wasn't going to stay hot for long. The last of the clones placed Myra in the water on top of Naruto, splashing water onto the floor. The clone smirked and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto grumbled about being a lazy bum.

Myra snuggled into him and chuckled sleepily. "Do you always bitch at your clones like that?"

"Yeah, why?" He looked down at her. Myra's eyes were closed and she had a smile on her face. There was some color coming back in her cheeks.

"No reason, just asking." She relaxed into him. Naruto pulled her close and started to relax himself. She buried her face in his chest and he felt warm tears falling from her eyes. "I'm sorry." She started to sob again.

"Hey… Shhhh… It's going to be okay."

She looked up at him. Her color had returned and her eyes were full of life again. But there was still a sad look to them. "I almost lost you."

He gave her a big Foxy grin. "No… You said it yourself. You can always find me."

She sniffled again. "You would wait for me?"

He kissed her on the forehead. "Always Rabbit… Always…"

Myra finally smiled at him. The bathroom became a bright place again, and she started to pulsate with that warm energy that could warm him even on the iciest of days.


	60. Death's Doorstep

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warning: I don't own Naruto. Rate "M" for adult themes, situations, and language.

Chapter 60: Death's Doorstep

Sakura and Sasuke arrived at the hospital to be greeted by Tsunade. The Blonde Hokage's face showed signs of fatigue and the graveness of the situation. "You did not need to come, Sakura, nor did you need to bring Sasuke."

"Shizune said it was important." Sakura explained. "She also said I should bring Sasuke."

Sasuke merely glared at Tsunade. He was curious about this man that was dead, yet breathing, but he was rather pissed off about his evening being interrupted.

Tsunade shook her head. "Shizune was rash in contacting you in my absence. I was aware of Nakahara's admission to the hospital. I was on my way to the emergency room when Shizune found me. By the time the yelling and stomping had ended, you had already left your apartment."

"Hn. That doesn't explain why you called for me." Sasuke huffed and crossed his arms.

Tsunade frowned. "If anything, you were called for positive identification."

Sakura blinked. "What about Myra and Naruto? Or Sephie and Gaara-sama?"

"Myra and Naruto are occupied at the moment and Gaara is asleep. I don't care if I am the Hokage, I am not waking him up. Ms Persephone, on the other hand, should be here in a matter of minutes." Tsunade kept her scowl.

Sasuke's eye started to twitch. "I can accept not waking Gaara. Dobe and the Cazy..." Sakura shot him a glare. "Myra and Naruto… Why aren't they here?" _I was occupied with Sakura, but that didn't stop them from calling us, _he thought bitterly.

"I do not have to explain my reasoning to you, Uchiha." Tsunade snapped. "We only needed two witnesses to identify the man to begin with."

In a matter of minutes Sephie, still dressed in club regalia carrying messenger bag, came skidding around the corner, nearly causing Sakura to topple over as Sephie used Sakura to stop her skid. Her eyes were wide and she had a grin from ear to ear. "Oh… Sorry Pinky… Just a little excited. Has he kicked the bucket yet?"

Sakura was slightly appalled at Sephie's comment. Tsunade shook her head in disgust. Sasuke let his classic smirk cross his lips. Sephie had the right idea as far as he was concerned. The blonde Hokage sighed. "Nakahara has not yet expired."

"COOL! I got to see one BEFORE he dies…" Sephie was giddy as a school girl and started to pull something out of her back pack.

"What are you talking about girl?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. Sakura gaze matched that of her mentor. Sasuke looked amused.

Sephie pulled out a small silver camera. "Oh… Well it's an unexplained death of a Yakuza criminal, right?"

Sasuke's eyes went as wide as Sakura's. Tsunade kept her eyebrow raised. "How do you know so much Persephone-san?"

"Oh that's easy." She handed Sakura the camera and dug in her bag to pull out a thin sliver notebook PC. "It says so right here." She lifted the top and read aloud. "Nobu Nakahara, known Yakuza boss, allegedly has his hand in several night clubs, gambling casinos, and brothels throughout Japan and the western world. Started as a body guard and worked his way up to "Cleaner", then supposedly took over a kidnapping gone wrong. Though no bodies were ever found, he is alleged to have killed over fifty people, including a government official's wife and five year old daughter, which elevated his status to Boss." She turned the laptop around to show the gathered three the web page. There on the web page was a picture of the man slowly dying in the hospital room.

Sakura looked over to Tsunade. "Shisho, we have Yakuza in Konoha?"

The blonde Hokage closed her eyes and sighed. "Not anymore."

Sephie smiled. "Yeah… Death Dealers… Gotta love 'em. And in Konoha no less… This is truly the best night of my life."

Tsunade kept her reaction to herself. She was most unsure how much Sephie really did know, or how close she was to the truth. Before she could really stop the conversation from going any further, Sasuke picked that moment to be talkative.

"What is a Death Dealer?" the Uchiha demanded.

Sephie looked at Sasuke like he was absolutely crazy. He was a ninja for the love of God, and he didn't know? Sephie shook her head and sighed. "He's one of you? Isn't he? I mean he's gotta be. It makes SOOO much sense. Once the whole underground society of ninja was explained to me, I figured he HAD to be a shinobi, ninja, whatever."

"Sephie," Sakura put her hand on the blonde girl's shoulder. "Make sense please."

Sephie blinked in utter confusion. Myra had for so long told her the rumors and sightings of the elusive "Death Dealer" was, just that, rumors and conspiracy theories. Sephie may have only been in the shinobi world for a month, but there was so much that became clear and made sense. Gaara had sworn her to secrecy for most of it, but "Death Dealer" was still open for conjecture. "The Death Dealer is a ghost I've been chasing since I was little. My dad is a HUGE conspiracy nut. As a "bonding" exercise for me and my dad, I started listening to his half baked ideas. My favorite is still that there is only one Fruit Cake in the entire world and it has been passed from family to family for the last few hundred years."

"PERSEPHONE!" Sasuke roared.

"Oh… Right… Sorry… The Death Dealer… No one really knows who he is. There are just a whole bunch of rumors and unexplained deaths of high ranking low lifes. You name the criminal organization, there has been one or more unexplained death within the higher echelon. You can track the deaths back over eighty years. After the death of your high ranking no-gooder, there is a ginormous investigation and the organization is usually stopped until another takes its place." Sephie shrugged.

Tsunade squinted at the short girl with tons of suspicion. "What else do you know?"

"I don't know…" Sephie got a sly look on her face. "What you got for me?" She smirked.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "This is not open for negotiation."

Sephie smiled happily. "Sure it is… Knowledge is power and knowing is half the battle. I know more. You want to know more. I am willing to sing like a canary but I want something in return."

"I don't see where this has anything to do with you, normal…" Sasuke sneered.

"Oh ho ho… Normal I may be Fucktard, but I know more about the world above than you seem to know. And as I see it, this is one of those things where I can come in pretty handy. Myra too… That is if you can get her to answer her phone." Sephie grumbled.

"Quiet!" Tsunade snapped specifically at Sasuke. The Uchiha glared at Tsunade. The Hokage ignored him and looked at Sephie. "Perspehone-san, what else can you tell me?"

"I want pictures and the exclusive autopsy report for my blog." Sephie's hazel eyes sparkled as she sat in the waiting room chair.

"You can not mention Konoha, or its location." Tsunade crossed her arms.

"Deal…" Sephie nodded. "I'll bet you dimes to doughnuts the cause of death will look like a massive stroke or heart attack. There are two other factors that will tell me who did it, the master, or the student…" Sephie smiled.

"Master? Student?" Sakura questioned.

Sephie rubbed her hands together and started pecking away at her keyboard. "About three years ago, the cause of death shifted slightly. Go back through the not so bloody trail Death Dealer has left, and you will see that the main cause of death is a major overdose of adrenaline. SOME of the deaths in the last three years have a slight difference in the pattern. A massive adrenaline concentration in the blood stream is the main cause of death, however, another interesting occurrence is the bodies have no electrical conductivity." Sephie paused to look up at Sakura. "I have suspected there was more than one Death Dealer for a long time, but this shift in pattern, confirms there is new Death Dealer in town AND the hits overlap in spots, classic Master/Student dichotomy."

"He's nothing more than a glorified hit man!" Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"That may be the case, but there is probably more to it that we do not understand." Tsunade had a grim look on her face. "This ninja that has taken on responsibilities the rest of us have ignored. Before the hidden villages, we were single family clans that warred against each other and did what this ninja, or ninjas, have continued to do. Eighty years ago the Shodia Hokage established Konohagakure to bring the warring clans together in an effort to promote peace. We were established to protect ALL the people in the Fire Country, however, we shinobi have become caught up in our own petty wars and have forgotten the reasons the village was established.

"These Death Dealers are the true janitors of the shinobi world and the world above. Criminals like Nakahara prey on the weak and helpless left behind in the wake of devastating wars, social disruption, and government neglect. Criminals are drawn to the ease of furthering their own gains and establish themselves as tyrant leaders. We shinobi turn a blind eye to them because they are NOT shinobi and because we are caught up in our own problems. We leave criminals, like Nakahara to bounty hunters and the other criminals of his ilk. It is vicious cycle and a sad truth that I have recently been made more aware of." Tsunade never allowed her expression to show the remorse she felt.

"Lady Tsunade, this means this person was, or still is, in the village. You would have to give permission for him to enter the village." Sakura looked at her mentor in shock.

Sephie, who did have a pen in her mouth, let it drop to the floor. This was the scoop of a life time. "He's HERE!"

Just then a loud shrill single note of the monitor from the other room signaled that Nakahara had lost his battle for life. Tsunade sighed heavily. "All of you go home. It is late and I have work to do. Sephie, you will have the report tomorrow afternoon." The Hokage turned to go into the hospital room.

Sasuke kept glaring at the Hokage. "You didn't answer Sakura's question."

Tsunade stopped at the door but did not turn to address Sasuke. "I have told you more than I should have already. Take what you have and go." The door closed behind her as she entered the room

Sakura and Sasuke both looked at Sephie at the same time. Sakura's expression was harsh, but Sasuke sacred Sephie. Sephie stopped typing and looked up at the pair a little nervously. "What?"

"How does one contact this Death Dealer?" Sasuke tone was demanding.

Sephie rolled her eyes. "How do you contact a ghost? I don't know… And quit with the creepy eye thing… You're scaring me… I don't work well under pressure."

"Hn." Sasuke turned to start walking. "If he can kill, then he is not a ghost."

Sakura ran up to him and grabbed his arm. "Sounds like this ninja kills with no remorse."

Sephie popped her head up from her laptop. "I beg to differ."

Sakura and Sasuke turned to Sephie again. "Killing is not something you get paid to do." Sasuke spat at Sephie.

"And what exactly DO you get paid for on a mission?" Sephie tilted her head and smiled at him. Sasuke took a step back. Sakura turned her gaze to the floor. There had been more than one mission with Naruto where the mission was to bring a missing nin to justice. None went easily and all were brought back in a body bag.

Sephie shook her head. "I thought as much. I may be "normal" like you say, but I'm not stupid. Ninja, the last time I checked, are paid to do a job. The Death Dealer performs a service, just like you do. They don't hunt other shinobi. They hunt the "NORMAL" culprits you "SHINOBI" don't care about anyway. They don't hunt the innocent either. Every drug lord, mafia boss, Yakuza, or filth they have taken out of this world, was because they had committed serious crimes against us "NORMALS". Didn't you hear the part about Nakahara murdering at least fifty people? Doesn't that cause you to stop and ask if the world is a better place without him?"

Sasuke took a moment to think. He looked over to the hospital room where the Yakuza felon was lying dead. The world will be a better place without Nobu Nakahara, there wasn't a doubt in Sasuke's mind about that. Killing people was a choice and it was a hard choice to make in any situation. But Sasuke was thinking about it from a noble perspective. He took another moment to consider life from the other side.

It was easy to take a life if you felt no remorse and cared nothing for life. Sasuke clenched his fists tighter. He would have been that way if he had continued down his path of self destruction. No one had the right to take a life needlessly. Sasuke had learned that lesson all too well. Scum like Nakahara take life for granted and step on it like you step on a blade of grass, with no thought as to how it will forever change the landscape. But was he guilty of the crimes he was accused?

Sasuke turned his gaze back to Sephie. "There has to be a way to contact a Death Dealer." He had to know how the Death Dealers knew a person deserved the fate they were given.

Sephie laughed. "When you figure that out, let me know, I would love to talk to one."

"Come on Sasuke, these Death Dealers are contract killers." Sakura still didn't like the idea of what they did. Needed or not, what they did was wrong. "The only way you're going to be able to talk to a contract killer is to put out a hit on someone."

Sasuke turned to Sakura. "What did you just say?"

Sephie looked at Sakura with a raised eyebrow. "Now why didn't I think of that?"


	61. Pie Makes it all Better

Normal_  
Thought_  
"Speech"_**  
Kyuubi**_

Warning: I don't own Naruto. Rated "M" for language adult situations and themes.

Chapter 61: Pie makes it all better

Consciousness came slowly to the blonde. There were no alarms or any noises that told him it was time to wake up. He did notice that he was the only one laying in bed. Naruto could feel her presence in the house so that made him relax, if only a little.

His eyes blinked open and he saw the empty spot that she had occupied most of the night. Naruto had brought her into the bedroom after she had woken him up screaming about someone named Minato.

Myra woke up just enough to latch on to Naruto and sob herself to sleep again. He put her to bed and hushed her to sleep. Myra would jerk, or whimper, and Naruto would remind her it was a dream. After a while, she slept peacefully as long as he did not let go of her.

Naruto sat up on the bed and gazed at the clock on the nightstand. It was another late morning and the finals of the Chunin Exams had already started. He jumped out of bed and got dressed. When the door opened he was assaulted with the aroma of food. There was so many different smells that he wasn't sure what he wanted to smell first.

The sound of someone cooking in the kitchen was next to come to his attention. Naruto rounded into the kitchen, nose first. On the kitchen table were foods he had seen before, a few he never heard of, and a few more he was very curious about. Myra was standing next to the stove stirring one pot, poking at another, and keeping an eye on the oven. She seemed to be happy and humming a catchy little tune.

Naruto walked up behind her. "What are you doing?"

Myra turned around. She had flour on her nose and her hair was frazzled, but she had a bright cheery smile that brightened the room. "I'm being domestic." She said as she kissed him on the nose.

Blue eyes blinked a few times. "I didn't know you could cook."

"You never asked, I never had the chance, and now I have to make several apologies." She turned back to the stove. "Nothing says I'm sorry like good food."

"Who are you apologizing to? Choji?" Naruto surveyed the mounds of food on the table.

Myra let out a soft chuckle while she pulled a flat cookie sheet from the oven. "Well…" she slid the hot chocolate chip cookies on to a cooling rack. "There is Sephie, Gaara, you, Sakura, a few other people…" she set the empty cookie sheet off to the side and took a deep breath. "And Sasuke…" She seemed rather unenthusiastic about Sasuke.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah… About teme… You need to tell him about Madara."

Myra stopped stirring the sweet smelling confection in the large pot for a moment. "I know…" the bright cheery feeling in the room dimmed for a moment, but the room regained its luster as she started to stir again. "Which is why I am cooking; I deal with stressful situations better when I have pie."

"When did you start cooking?" Naruto picked up a cookie.

"Oh, I think it was about seven this morning. I couldn't sleep and I was hungry. So I started cooking." Myra shrugged. "Then it turned into a situation where I finished cooking what I wanted and thought I would share. So I let you sleep, I ran to the store to get a few more things that I thought I would need to make a lovely picnic lunch for all of us to sit and watch the rest of the Chunin exams." She smiled brightly and turned off the stove.

Myra turned back to Naruto, who had a chocolate chip cookie in his mouth and three more in his hand. He was looking extremely guilty and hid the cookies behind his back. Myra let out a long sigh and shook her head. She pointed to the door of the kitchen. "OUT! If you are going to steel my cookies, I can not have you in my kitchen."

The blonde looked at her with very large sad blue eyes and pouted. "But they're so good." He swallowed the cookie in his mouth.

Myra smirked. "Thanks, I try. Now go open the door for Fu… Sasuke… Offer him a cookie to get him to be less bitchy… And I will be here finishing up my pie." There was a knock at the door. "Then after I know he is less bitchy… We will discuss… stuff." She smiled forcible.

Naruto frowned at the idea of giving up one of the cookies in his hand, especially to Sasuke. The blonde shrugged and stole one more cookie before he exited the kitchen to answer the door. Myra smirked and continued to hum her little tune. Cooking was a relaxing exercise. She had started at seven that morning when she couldn't sleep anymore. The nightmares had been intense as usual, but Naruto holding on to her had made them a little more bearable than normal.

Myra had started her morning by making blueberry waffles, then moved on to scrambled eggs and bacon, with that culminated into a sudden urge to make southern fried chicken, peach cobbler, potato salad, a garden salad, corn on the cob, green beans and bacon, mashed potatoes, and of course, cherry, apple, blueberry, and pecan pie. While she was in the baking mood she continued the confections by making chocolate chip, sugar, shortbread and peanut butter cookies. She was pouring the blueberry filling into the pie shells as Naruto and Sasuke came into the kitchen.

Sasuke rose an eyebrow as he looked over the massive amount of food. She had cooked for an army, or just Naruto, he couldn't really tell. He took another bite of the chocolate chip cookie and just stared. "Hn." The cookie really was pretty good.

Myra fussed with the blueberry pie filling and the two pie shells. "Good morning…" she said flatly.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted in his usual tone.

Naruto elbowed him in the side. "Be nice teme… She made cookies."

"Do you have to hum that damn song? It's getting annoying…" _"It woke me up this morning…"_

Myra was smiling as she finished filling the two pie shells. She walked over holding out the spatula and the bowl. "Who wants the bowl? And who wants the spatula?" _"You shouldn't have been listening."_

Both boys looked at each other. Naruto gave Sasuke a devious grin. "I get the bowl…" There was an electric spark between their eyes as old rivalries started to bud again. Myra smiled and handed Naruto the bowl.

"Hn. Fine… I'll take the spatula." The Uchiha grabbed the spatula from her hand.

Myra let the boys have the childish moment of licking the bowl and spoon. It was the best part of cooking anyway. After she had put the pies in the oven to bake, she turned to Sasuke and Naruto. They were fighting like kids over the last morsel in the bottom of the bowl. Myra let out a sigh and took a deep breath. "I saw Madara last night and he made an offer I almost didn't refuse." Myra had Sasuke's undivided attention which gave Naruto claim on the last little bit of blueberry pie filling in the bottom of the bowl.

"What?" There was a growl in Sasuke's voice that Myra could not ignore.

"I was at the Uchiha temple last night trying to find my "roots" as it were and to clear my head a little. I don't know if he was there waiting for me, if he was the one that called me to the temple, or he got there after I did. Regardless of all of the when, or even the how, the point was he was there. He basically offered an olive branch, so to speak. I go with him with out any fuss or muss, and everyone lives to tell the tale. Honestly, the mood I was in last night, it was extremely tempting." She looked away from Sasuke to Naruto and smiled. "But there was something else that kept me from taking his offer."

Myra felt the anger in Sasuke start to build along with the underlying worry he didn't want to admit to. Naruto had already gotten over his anger. Madara was gone for the moment and Myra was safe. There was no need to be angry anymore. The Uchiha set the spatula down and glared at Myra. Myra smiled. "Would you like another cookie?"

"Why didn't you come to me? We could have tracked him! We could have dealt with him right then and there! Kami, how stupid are you!" Sasuke shouted.

Myra held her ground, even though it was very difficult. She was still very tired and very weak from the chakra depletion. The Ten no Shi jutsu took as much out of her as it did the victims. The little tune she was repeating in her head was how she was managing to keep Sasuke out of her mind. If he knew how to push hard enough, she would crack like an egg. For the moment, she was going to keep that information to herself as long as she could. "I guess you don't want another cookie." Myra took off her apron and walked into the living room.

Naruto shot a glare at Sasuke. "Damn it Sasuke!"

"Why am I being the one vilified here? She runs off to do what ever she fucking pleases…"

"Just like another Uchiha I know…" The blonde grumbled.

"SHE IS NOT AN UCHIHA!"

"I AM NOT AN UCHIHA!"

Naruto stepped back a step as both of them yelled at the same time. "Could have fooled me…" he mumbled under his breath.

Sasuke turned to follow her into the living room. "Look you Crazy Bitch! What the hell were you thinking running off like that in the first place?" The tune in her head got louder as he got closer to her.

"I don't know Fucktard? I wasn't really thinking much at all. It was more like I wanted to get away from being YELLED AT! If this is going to turn into a "let's bitch at Myra because she did something un-Sasuke like", you can leave." Myra sat down on the couch and turned up her nose at him. "To think I SLAVED over a hot stove to say I was sorry. Bad Sasuke… No more cookies for you!"

Naruto was hot on Sasuke's heels. "Teme, you don't need to be so harsh."

"She gets away with MURDER and no one does a damn thing about it."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Just like an Uchiha I know…"

"Hn." Sasuke glared back.

"Sasuke, it's over and done with. Stop being such an ass." Naruto groused

"Can I have a moment alone with her please?" Sasuke asked Naruto almost politely.

Myra raised an eyebrow. Naruto looked very suspiciously at Sasuke. "Why?"

"Hn."

"That isn't an answer." Naruto growled.

"Because he wants to talk to me alone for a minute. It's ok Love… I can take him…" Myra grinned.

Naruto walked over to Myra and looked down at her almost as suspiciously as he did Sasuke. "Are you gonna be ok?"

"I'll be fine." Myra gave him half a smirk and took his hand in hers. "I was a bit reckless last night and Sasuke does have a legitimate reason to bitch. Best to just let him have his say, then I can have pie and all will be right in the world."

"All right then, I will get ready for the Chunin Exams and be right back." Naruto kissed her on the forehead. He looked up from Myra and glared back at Sasuke. He didn't have to say anything. The blonde growled at Sasuke.

Sasuke smirked like he didn't care one way or the other, but it was a silent understanding. Naruto would beat the ever living shit out of Sasuke if Naruto got back and Myra looked remotely unhappy. Naruto closed the front door behind him. Myra watched Naruto leave before she said anything. "I'm sorry about last night. Shit got out of hand and I didn't handle it as well as I could have."

Sasuke took a deep breath. "Sakura explained very clearly what happened. I'm over that. I want to know what else Madara said."

"Things I really don't want to repeat." Myra shuttered and looked down at the floor.

"Myra, everything he says has a double meaning. He's an evil manipulative bastard." Sasuke walked over to her.

Myra kept her gaze on the floor. "He was being honest with me. It was creepy, HE was creepy. He said he would see me again, so I just need to be on the look out." Myra stood up and walked over to the book case near the TV. She pulled a small leather bound book from a nook. "He pointed me towards this." She ran her hands over the diary. "It's Miyako's diary. Madara doesn't think it will help, but I think maybe it will."

She handed Sasuke the diary. He took the diary from her. "Why are you still fighting me?"

"Why are you trying to force your way in?" Myra rubbed at her eyes as she sat back on the couch. The Uchiha blinked and noticed the fatigue on her face, then noticed it hidden behind a smile. "Sasuke, I'm not overly comfortable with the idea of you poking your nose in my head. I never forced my way into yours, I didn't have to, you are extremely LOUD about your thoughts because you never grew up with the idea there could be someone else listening. I grew up with two spirit birds that communicate telepathically and will pry when think its necessary, or when they think it's funny. It's a defense mechanism that I have learned to keep other people out of my mind."

"Hn." Sasuke nodded. "I will accept that answer for now." He walked over to the couch and stared down at her. "But you are hiding something." He grabbed her wrist. Myra tried to get him to let her go. It was a struggle that took a matter of moments, but it was enough for Sasuke to confirm the fatigue. "You're exhausted and you have enough chakra to keep your body functioning."

"Tell me something I don't already know." Myra jerked her wrist from his grasp.

"You should be in the hospital." He continued to stare at her.

Myra shook her head. "No hospitals. All they will tell me to do is sleep, and sleeping isn't a good thing right now." She got up and started to walk into the kitchen.

"You have nightmares too… Don't you?"

Myra stopped at the door of the kitchen and took a deep breath. "Yeah I do. My chakra gets low enough and I don't have the energy to change or suppress them." She continued into the kitchen.

Sasuke followed her back into the kitchen. "That night?"

Myra took the last of the pies out of the oven. "Yes… Your nightmare… My nightmare. There are a few minor differences, but yes. I get to watch a few people die and I can't do a damn thing about it. It's a bit frustrating and a bit depressing, but I get it over it and let it go. It reminds me why I became a shinobi. I want to help people, and then maybe, I can make up for the people I couldn't help." Myra shrugged.

"It wasn't your fault." Sasuke hung his head.

"It wasn't your fault either." Myra placed three pieces of warm blueberry pie on plates. Sasuke was feeling guilty that he couldn't stop the massacre and stood brooding on the other side of the kitchen. There was silence between them while Sasuke brooded and Myra plated the pie. The Ravenheart girl pulled some ice cream from the freezer and topped the three pieces of pie. As a final touch, she lovingly topped the pie and ice cream with some whipped cream.

She walked over and handed Sasuke a plate and a fork. "Pie makes everything better." Myra genuinely smiled at him.


	62. A Day at the Coliseum

Normal_  
Thought/"Telepathic communication"  
_"Speech"_**  
Kyuubi**_

Warning: I don't own it, never have… Never will… Don't pretend that I do… Rated "M" for adult language, themes, and situations.

Chapter 62: A Day at the Coliseum

The blonde had returned to Myra's apartment to see the strangest sight in the world; Sasuke with a smile on his face and a mouth full of pie. It had been kind of interesting to see teme smile, but it was more interesting to see him try and hide it.

Myra had smiled and handed Naruto a plate of warm blueberry pie, ice cream and whipped cream with a huge grin. The blonde took the plate from her and stared at it for a second. Myra raised an eyebrow. "Well, try it..."

"Pie and ice cream for breakfast?" Naruto wasn't quite sure if this was ok.

"Not breakfast silly, it's too late for breakfast, more like a snack before we have lunch." Myra smiled and nodded.

Sasuke was practically licking the plate. "It's good. I will be taking some home with me."

Myra chuckled. "If there is left over's…"

Naruto tasted the pie. He had blueberry pie before. This wasn't just pie, it was PIE! Naruto chewed, swallowed, and understood what Myra meant by "all is right with the world when there is pie". Nothing really mattered except the pie. Life would be perfectly happy if there was just him and the pie. The blonde was licking the plate before he snapped out of his daze.

Myra was sitting in a chair laughing and Sasuke was smirking. Once again there was a silent understanding between Naruto and Sasuke. If Naruto didn't tell anyone, neither would Sasuke.

0 – 0 – 0

Several of Naruto's clones had hauled the lunch Myra had prepared up to private box at the top of the coliseum. Myra had laid out the food, buffet style for everyone on a table at the back of the suite.

Rai and Sasuke watched in amazement how Myra managed to keep a cheerful demeanor and never showed any signs of how tired she truly was. Sakura was there to help play hostess, but this was Myra's time to shine. She greeted stray dignitaries and Council members, offered them tasty treats and made sure they left in a pleasant mood.

During a break in the flow of people between matches, Naruto pulled Myra aside. "Do you think you can run away for a little while?"

Myra latched on to his arm. "Depends on where we are running." She gave him a sly smirk.

"I want to go see Konohamaru before his match."

"I think that would be a great idea." Myra smiled and started to pull him out the door.

Sasuke moved to follow them. "Where are you going?"

"Down to wish Little Brother good luck." Myra answered with her nose in the air. Naruto nodded in agreement.

Sasuke grabbed her wrist to stop her. "You don't need to be..."

"I am not a china doll." Myra groused. _"Besides, you should be more attentive to Sakura than me."_ Myra hugged Naruto's arm.

"_Sakura isn't exhausted_." He hadn't taken his hand from her wrist.

"Teme, let go." Naruto growled at Sasuke. "I'm not going to let anything happen. We're just going down to the pits."

"Hn." The Uchiha let go of Myra.

"She's my girlfriend Damn it."

"She's my sister." Sasuke wasn't the only one to be surprised by his statement. A few heads turned.

Myra smiled warmly at Naruto and put a hand on his chest, gently pushing him back. Myra turned to Sasuke putting her hand on his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. "That is the kindest thing you have ever said about me. You can be really sweet when you want to be. I will be fine."

Sasuke glared at her not showing the worry he felt. "Hn." He turned away from her and walked over to Sakura. The pink one looked over at Myra with a knowing smile. Myra shook her head and sighed. _"Now is not the time to be over protective Brother."_ Myra took Naruto's arm again and they started out the door.

"_What ever…"_ Sasuke hid the slight smirk on his face.

0 – 0 – 0

Konohamaru stood in the wings of the newly reconstructed stadium. The Sarutobi Stadium was a proud addition to Konoha that was built for the Chunin Exams that he was taking part in. Naruto and Myra had come to watch him. Konohamaru was happy to get to see both of them before his match. Naruto was very simple in his words. "Go out there and kick some ASS!" The blonde gave Konohamaru a foxy grin and thumbs up.

Myra smiled. Konohamaru's heart melted again and for a moment he was jealous again, but when Myra hugged him and kissed him on the forehead all those jealous feelings went away. Myra kneeled down to Konohamaru. "Are you nervous Squirt?"

Konohamaru shrugged. "A little, but knowing you and Naruto-niisan are here makes it easier."

Myra looked up behind Konohamaru, and he saw her eyes flash red for just a moment. Then her brown eyes focused back on him. She got very close to his ear. "Your grandfather and uncle are here with you. Let their spirits guide you… And most of all, like Naruto said, kick some ass." She stood back up to her full height and leaned on Naruto for support.

Konohamaru felt two hands on his shoulders. When he glanced behind him, no one was there except his sensei, Ebisu, but he was too far away to have put his hands on Konohamaru's shoulders. The young boy turned back to Myra with a confused expression. Myra nodded at Konohamaru with a smile. He puffed out his chest and seemed to gain a confidence he didn't know he had. Konohamaru walked to the end of the tunnel where he waited for his match.

Ebisu stood next to the honorable grandson. The special jonin had been nervous about this match since it had been announced after the preliminaries. Konohamaru was pitted against an older boy from the village hidden in the Waterfall.

Konohamaru looked up at Ebisu. "You worry too much." Konohamaru's tone was confident.

"Konohamaru-san, I want you to do your best." Ebisu pushed up his sunglasses.

"I will. I have the old man and Uncle Asuma here with me. I can't loose." The honorable grandson sounded determined.

Ebisu blinked behind his dark glasses. There was something very different about Konohamaru. He wasn't scared or nervous like he had been the past few days. Konohamaru was calm, an almost deadly calm. It was the kind of calm only an experience ninja had before battle. The special jonin smirked. If the Sandiame and Asuma were here to watch, they could be very proud no matter the out come.

The crowd roared again as Konohamaru heard his name being called. The boy took a deep breath and started to walk up the steps to the coliseum floor. He kept his mind on the battle before him. Konohamaru was ready. The last step before the entrance he stopped as a wave of nervous butterflies filled his gut and the teen boy hesitated for a split second. He felt the hands on his shoulders encouraging him forward. His eyes went wide. This was his grandfather and uncle, they were here to watch and guide him. They were here like Uisagi-nechan had said.

A fire of confidence welled up in him and he took the final step onto the coliseum floor. The crowd was deafening and the energy from that crowd surged through him. Konohamaru smirked; he was ready, more ready than he had ever been in his life. No longer would he be called, honorable grandson, he would make them hear his name today. "My name is Sarutobi Konohamaru!" He pointed to the boy at the opposite end of the coliseum. "And you're going down!"

0 – 0 – 0

Myra and Naruto got back to the private suite just before the beginning of Konohamaru's match. The announcer came over the loud speaker and called out the names of the next combatants. Myra sat on the couch and watched on the large television screen provided in the suite. Naruto had his hands and face press against the glass watching.

He could not hear Konohamaru's declaration, but what Naruto could see was the determination on the teen's face. _He's really grown up._ The blonde thought to himself. Myra stayed on the couch. She was reaching her absolute limit. She would be able to watch Konohamaru's match and then it would be off to bed.

Rai sat on the couch next to her. "I hope you are going home soon."

"After this match Dad… I promise. I'll need to take him with me." She nodded to Naruto.

"You shouldn't push yourself like this." Rai eyed her.

"But at least this way I will get some sleep. If I'm tuckered out, I don't dream. No dreams equals no nightmares. No nightmares equals a nice restful sleep. Then I won't be cranky in the morning." Myra put her head on her father's shoulder.

The match on the coliseum floor began. Konohamaru and the boy from Waterfall stared off with one another. Naruto could see that they were taunting each other with a battle of wits. When the boy from Waterfall charged out of anger Konohamaru stood still until the very last second. Konohamaru side stepped the boy and stuck his foot out, tripping the Waterfall nin.

The Waterfall boy landed face first into the dirt. It didn't do much except make him angrier, which would play to Konohamaru's advantage. The young Leaf nin kept calm and let a slight smirk dance on his face. The Waterfall boy got up in a flurry of flips and twists. Shuriken went flying towards Konohamaru, which he deflected easily with shuriken of his own.

The Waterfall boy was charging at Konohamaru again, but this time the young Leaf nin didn't sidestep. He engaged the other ninja in a test of taijutsu. Konohamaru took a nasty kick to the chest and flew back a few feet. There was a frightful gasp from the crowd and a cruel smirk on the boy from Waterfall's face. Konohamaru was shaken, his chest hurt, but he was relatively unharmed. The Leaf boy got up and the crowd cheered him as his stood.

Konohamaru was standing for mere moments when kunai came hurtling towards him. He flipped gracefully away. The Leaf nin jumped to the cover of a tree and hurled kunai of his own. The Waterfall boy attempted to doge, but was hit in the thigh.

Konohamaru took his oportunity to try some of his newly found talent for Earth jutsu. He flipped through the hand signs "Earth style: whirlpool of mud!"

The ground beneath the Waterfall nin started to soften and swirl. He tried to get out of the gooey mess of mud, but as he started to scramble out of they way the ground would change and pull him down.

The Waterfall boy brought his hands together and the swirling mud became a swirling mass of water. He got out of the small pond in the middle of the field coughing slightly. Konohamaru allowed the boy to catch his breathe which was a sign to everyone in attendance that Konohamaru was an honorable man. Tsunade watching from her box, mused that win or loose, Konohamaru would be a fine Chunin.

Konohamaru didn't give the Waterfall boy too much time to breathe. He had already made the signs and was just waiting for the other boy to stand up. There was a rumble of the ground and stone spikes erupted from the ground herding the Waterfall boy towards the place where Konohamaru was waiting.

The Honorable Grandson leapt from the tree planting a foot square to the chest of the Waterfall boy. There was another display of kicks, punches and flips that were easy to follow. Konohamaru obviously needed to work on his hand to hand, because the Waterfall boy got the upper hand quickly. Konohamaru was pushed back.

Konohamaru felt a hand on his shoulder again, and it was like he knew exactly what to do. He bit the inside of his thumb and gestured a few times. As Konohamaru's fingers flipped through the hand signs, Ebisu's eyes went wider than his dark glasses. _I haven't taught him to do that yet!_ The special jonin stared in excitement. The young Leaf boy's hand hit the ground and a medium sized monkey appeared in a puff of smoke.

Konohamaru's eyes were just as wide as Ebisu's. The boy at the other end of the stadium floor was worried now, and Konohamaru saw the fear in his eyes. The monkey looked to Konohamaru for direction. The grandson of the great Sarutobi, Sandiame Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, pointed to the boy at the opposite end of the stadium and just smiled. "Let's get him!"

Konohamaru and the monkey charged at the boy from Waterfall. The Waterfall boy reacted by flipping a few hand signs of his own and a wave of water came crashing down. Konohamaru managed to get to a tree before the tidal wave got close. His new found monkey friend wasn't so lucky. Konohamaru's thoughts changed from the battle before him and he dove into the rushing water after the monkey he had summoned. The Leaf boy grabbed the spindly arm of the animal and pulled him up above the water, holding on for dear life.

The two tumbled to the wall of the stadium. Konohamaru was still protectively curled around his new friend to keep him from getting hurt further when the water subsided. The Waterfall boy was standing above Konohamaru with a sadistic smile. The Leaf boy looked up in surprise. The monkey leaped from Konohamaru's arms scratching and clawing at the other boy's face.

The Waterfall boy stepped back and howled in pain from being clawed at. Konohamaru jumped up and tackled the boy in front of him. They all tumbled in a heap of flailing arms and legs. The dust around them cleared and Konohamaru was kneeling over the Waterfall boy holding a kunai to his throat. The monkey was perched on Konohamaru's shoulder ready to attack again should the Waterfall boy even flinch.

There was silence around the stadium until the proctor was close to the combatants. The Waterfall boy turned his head to the side and surrendered to the proctor. The crowed went wild. The announcer roared in excitement. "And Sarutobi Konohamaru joins the ranks of ninja his family can be proud!"

Naruto was jumping up and down screaming at the top of his lungs. "Yes! He did it! I knew he would! Myra did you see!?" Naruto turned around to see Myra curled up and sound asleep on her father's lap.

Rai chuckled lightly. "No... She didn't."

Naruto frowed. "Why didn't she tell me she was that tired? I would have stayed at the apartment with her."

"When you figure that out boy, I will call you a better man than I." Rai smirked.

Naruto scooped her off of her father's lap. She didn't move, she didn't skip a heart beat, Myra was totally out cold. Naruto pulled her close to him. "I'll take her home."


	63. The Long Morning

_Thought/Telepathic communication_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warning: I don't own it… It's rated "M" for a reason…

A/N:_Wow it's been a while… Sorry about that. Got a little stuck. Now that I'm un-stuck, things should flow… I hope. More A/N at the end…._

Chapter 63: The Long Morning

A lone shadow stood on the outside of Wakanashi's house. Wakanashi wasn't an important member of the council. No… He was just another pawn in the plan. That didn't matter to the shadow. Madara needed to put things in motion to bring his plan together. He needed Myra vulnerable. He needed Sasuke to come back to the darkness. He needed his faithful pet free of that blonde weakling.

Slowly the shadow crept into the house. It was easy to do. There was nothing that could stop the Shadow Master from slipping into his prey's bedroom. Wakanashi never heard the sound of the floor creaking as Madara entered the room. Wakanashi was asleep from his day of official duties with the rest of the council. Madara smirked wildly beneath the orange and black mask.

With this man's death, the last of the civilian council not populated by one of his puppets would be complete. Madara would have the village with in his grasp and destroy it from the inside. It was much easier than he had thought possible. The Shadow charged the chakra in his hand and pushed on the sleeping Wakanashi's heart. Wakanashi's eyes burst open with the pain. Madara placed his other hand over the man's mouth to keep his screams from alerting anyone.

The Shadow grasped at Wakanashi's chest, drawing out the man's very soul. The man beneath the Shadow's hand went limp from the extraction of his spirit. A sadistic smile spread on Madara's face while he held the disembodied spirit in his hand. The raw spirit energy in his hand pulsated. It wasn't long before the energy dissipated into the Ethereal where it would be forever trapped. Madara exited the room. "I will enjoy watching you get yourself out of this one my dear girl and it will bring you straight to me." The evil laughter echoed the room.

0 – 0 – 0

Myra had woken up the next morning to find Naruto asleep on her couch. He had fallen asleep watching the remainder of the Chunin Exams. Myra stared at him dreamily over the couch for a few brief moments before the bathroom called her name.

Myra slipped off the clothes she had slept in and turned on the water in the shower to get warm. She noticed the growing pile of laundry in the corner that she thought needed to get done. Myra stepped into the shower and allowed the beating of the hot water melt away the remaining stress of the last few days.

The water felt good. The warm hands snaking around her waist felt even better. Naruto rested his chin on her shoulder. "Good morning."

Myra ran her hands along his. "Yes… It's a morning."

"Are you feeling better this morning?" Naruto kissed the back of her neck.

Despite the warmth of the water, Myra's skin prickled with goose bumps. "Yes, I feel a lot better." She tilted her head to the side.

Naruto moved her hair out of his way. "Good. Did you know," he continued to kiss her ever so slightly, "you have no where to go, and nothing to do for the next few days?"

Myra was finding in hard to concentrate. "I um… had thought about… t-training and um…" she let out a heavy breath. "I have to get something to Squirt."

"I see." He grabbed the soap and a loofah. "There is a fair that starts later this afternoon. I thought that maybe, if you would feel up to it, maybe going out... Like on a date... Go out."

Myra turned and blinked at him a few times. "We practically live together, sleep together, we are currently showering together, and you're just now getting around to asking me out on a date?"

Naruto gave her a sheepish grin. "Yes?"

Myra turned around and wrapped her arms around him and press up against him. "And pass up a perfectly good opportunity to ignore the outside world?"

Naruto had to chew on that for a moment. "That is definitely a possibility." He kissed her on the nose. "But I actually kind of want to go out with everyone and," he shrugged. "You know…" The blonde didn't really know how to explain what he wanted. He wanted to take her out and parade her around and let everyone know she was his. Of course having the opportunity to keep her in the den and make her understand that she was his was another thing all together. Then there was the moment he started to wonder when he started to refer to the apartment as a den. He turned her around and started to scrub her back.

Myra was slightly confused by what Naruto was trying to tell her. The fair sounded like it would be a fun outing. She had yet to really get a chance to wonder the village. Sephie had gotten to explore more of the village that Myra had. It was about that time when Myra lost concentration on her thoughts. Naruto had spun her around and started washing her front.

Naruto wasn't really paying attention to the fact that Myra was going to loose her balance any second. He was busy memorizing every curve, every hill, every valley, every inch of her body. Naruto had done it before and it was something he enjoyed doing. He was fascinated by the way her skin would tighten just before he touched her. Or if he didn't touch her and just let his fingers dance above her flesh, she would erupted in goose pimples like she could still feel him.

It was exquisite torture. She reveled in the mere act of his touch. There were no thoughts beyond, don't ever stop touching. The blonde would withhold his touch and it would make her whole body ache, even more it would make her heart hurt. The thought of not being able to touch him or he not be allowed to touch her was maddening.

Naruto gentle guided her into the stream of the shower and rinsed off all the soap. The smell of the soap and her arousal was beginning to overload Naruto's senses. It was if something somewhere snapped in his mind and the flood gates opened. It was a carnal need that he couldn't deny himself any longer.

Myra felt herself being lifted and heard the slam of the bathroom door being opened. She was in a trance of passion that she couldn't escape. She submitted to untamed wild that he had unleashed. The world spun again and again and again until they had both collapsed in a tangle of limbs and sheets.

0 - 0 - 0

Wakanashi's maid knocked on her employer's bedroom door. When there was no answer, she became nervous. There was something about the feel of the door that gave the young maid the hebi jeebis. She slowly opened the door and walked to the bed, where she thought her employer was still sleeping.

The smell of death asaulted her nostrils and the cold dead face of fear was frozen on Wakanashi's face. The maid screamed and alerted the whole house. It was only a mater of time before ANBU, Tsunade and Hiashi Hyuuga were on the scene.

The blonde Hokage looked over the body and frowned. This was impossible from what the Elder Ravenheart had explained. Myra was physically incapable of performing the Ten no Shi more than once in a 24 hour period. Tsunade had seen the girl in question and though she hid her chakra depletion well, the girl was dangerously close to collapse or worse.

Hiashi paced around the body like wolf waiting for the right moment to strike. "Well, is it what we suspect?"

"Lord Hyuuga, know your place. I will not know more until I can get him to the hospital for more tests. It will take me a few hours to confirm or deny your assumptions."

"The entire council is aware of the girl's capabilities now. The demonstration was most effective. This is exactly why I am against having ties with a clan that has no true allegiances. They honor no one Kage or lord. They have done work with our enemies, the Ravenheart clan started as enemies of Konoha as you should know, lady Tsunade." Hyuuga glared.

"That is enough Hiashi. I am aware of what you speak. But you are forgetting two things about Death Dealers, they do not kill needlessly and they do not kill innocent people." Tsunade continued to check over the body. "I know who this man is. Wakanashi was a good man trying to protect his village. This was not the fate of a good man." There was something off about the Hyuuga clan leader. Tsunade couldn't sense any deception from him, but he immediately assumed Myra had committed this murder, and that is exactly what it was.

The blonde woman examined everything about the body. It was the Ten no Shi, his spirit was gone. There was a minor difference, very subtle and to someone who had never seen a body after the jutsu was performed, they wouldn't notice it. What was more, Tsunade surmised, was that this person was murdered by someone else. Tsunade kept her composure; she had to stall for time. "Take him to the hospital so I can run more tests."

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto woke up curled around her. She was contently asleep in his arms. He pulled her closer, nuzzling into the back of her neck. Myra pulled his arms tighter around her. "Love, I don't think I can do this all day."

"I don't think I could either." He lied.

Myra elbowed him. "Liar." She giggled.

Her giggle reverberated through her and into him. He tightened his grip around her. "You're not making it easy for me to stop." He growled in her ear. He felt her whole body shiver. "That doesn't help either." Naruto nuzzled her shoulders.

She turned around to face him. "Honestly, I never want you to stop." Myra kissed him on the nose. "But I need to eat, you need to eat, and I'm going out on a date."

Naruto scowled at her. "With who?"

Myra kept herself from laughing. Naruto had forgotten he had asked her to the fair. "Oh, just some guy I met." She grinned.

"And what would his name be?" Naruto growled menacingly.

Myra looked at him coyly. "Naruto Uzumaki…"

Naruto clamed and felt a little stupid for getting upset, but thought it would be fun to tease her right back. "So, this guy… Is he good looking?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Is he smart?"

"I think he's smarter than he lets on."

"Is he better than Sasuke?"

"No comment…"

"What, you scared you might hurt his feelings?"

"It isn't that… I will not speak ill of people that are not here to properly defend themselves."

"YES! I'm better." Naruto had a huge grin on his face.

Myra shook her head and started to get out of bed. "I'm going to go finish taking my shower." She stretched.

"I'll join you…" Naruto started to get up. His wrist was stuck to the frame of the bed. Naruto glared at her.

Myra just smiled and held up the key to the hand cuffs. "I would actually like to take a shower. You get in with me… And I'll never get clean."

"You're no fun." He sulked.

0 – 0 – 0

Rai was standing in the hospital waiting area like any nervous father. The birds sat nervously in a tree; outside the very room Wakanashi's body was being kept. Tsunade exited the autopsy room with a grim expression. Rai nearly knocked her over. "Well?"

"I can stall for so long. I have a pretty good idea who did this, but there is no way to prove it. I knew there was something fishy about all of this happening at once. I should have seen the connection." Tsunade crossed her arms.

"Madara did this, didn't he?" Rai whispered.

"Yes he did. Hyuuga's already got the council convened with the exception of Sasuke. Hiashi made a big speech about how the Uchiha could yet be trusted with such matters of great importance. So the council unanimously voted to exclude Sasuke from the demonstration and from this trial." The Hokage nodded. "I believe this is a trap of some kind."

"Then I suggest that we continue with the illusion that she is guilty for the moment. It may draw out Madara and his subordinates. I will have Poe get a message to Myra." Rai was about to turn to the birds.

"Wait… If Myra is ready for the ANBU when they arrest her, it may tip people off that we know. Right now I don't know who I can and can not trust. Even you, old friend, there is dissention in the council that we should not ally with those that claim no allegiances."

Rai hung his head. "It is true a Death Dealer does not publicly claim allegiances to anyone. It's bad for business. I, on the other hand, have always been partial to the village I grew up in. I made many friends here, most of them are gone, but I still consider this place home." Rai gave Tsunade a confident grin. "I, the Thunder Bear, have always protected the village of Konoha and her Hokage when they call me to duty. I am a Konoha Shinobi first."

"Then as the Hokage, I'm asking for your help Thunder Bear. I am officially reinstating you as a special ANBU. You, Kakashi and Yamato need to go over that crime scene. Keep things discrete and in the shadows. I don't think I can stall the council much longer and I don't think I will be able to hand pick the ANBU team that will arrest Myra." Tsunade frowned.

"Myra is going to know something isn't right. Let me know the instant they are sent after her. If I am there I may be able to stop her from doing something even more damaging to her case."

"I agree. I will have Shizune contact you the moment the team is sent. Now get out of here before you are caught." Tsunade grinned. There was a flicker and a gust of wind and the man was gone.

Tsunade looked to the pair of birds that were still perched in the tree. "Well… Can't you two do something?"

The larger bird turned his head to face the smaller female. The smaller female shook her head. The larger bird took off in a flurry of wings. The smaller female stared back at Tsunade. _"Things are going as they should. It is not ours to interfere with what must happen. A word of caution, Princess… The boy and the Fox are finding they have common ground. The more they find they have together, the less they have reason to be apart. Do not fear the moments of single thought. They only serve to make them a stronger whole."_

"Are you saying that Naruto and the Kyuubi are becoming one person?" Tusnade walked to the window.

"_It is what must be for the Kyuubi and Naruto to survive. It is what must be for us all to survive."_ Poe took off in a flutter of wings.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

A/N 2: Ok… I am sure a few of you are wondering… Where's the Lemon? Well… This is where I was getting caught up… I needed the massive amount of citrus to happen I just really didn't feel like writing it. So to save time, get the story back on track and get the fricken chapter up… I omitted the Lemons. If you want to know what happens that badly… I will sum it up with the immortal words of a famous comedian on the subject of Lemons from the perspective a certain part of the male anatomy:

"It was light… It was dark… It was light… It was dark… It was light… It was dark…It was light… And then I threw up…"

And it happened THREE TIMES!

Stay tuned for more whacky adventures and crazy happenings… Review and stuff… Please…


	64. Single Thought, Single Action

Normal  
"Speach"  
_Thought  
**Kyuubi**_

**Chapter 64: Single thought, Single Action+**

Tsunade stood in her office waiting for any word from the special group she had assembled

Tsunade stood in her office waiting for any word from the special group she had assembled. There was a rush of wind and the sound of foot falls in her office. "Well..." The blonde Hokage didn't turn from the large window.

"There is no evidence to support Myra was ever in the Wakanashi house. There is no evidence of anyone being in the house except the family and the servants." Kakashi answered.

"We were able to find a small trace of residual energy." Yamato nodded.

Rai came into view of the Hokage. "It is energy spilling over from the Ethereal. I think we've discovered how Madara has been traveling."

0 - 0 - 0

Naruto tugged on the cuffs. He was still trying to figure out where Myra had gotten them, and when she had managed to slip them on him. The morning had been AMAZING and he really couldn't blame her from wanting a little alone time. He fiddled with the cuffs and mused about taking her out this afternoon. Then again, a smirk played on his lips as thoughts raced through his mind about keeping her in the de... _"APARTMENT!"_

"_**What's the difference?"**_

"_A den is a dirty cave, or a hole dug under a rock!"_

"_**Both of which, I shall point out, you eat in, sleep in... And mate in."**_

"_PERVERT!"_ Naruto mentally feigned shock.

"_**Your point?"**_

"_Why am I thinking like this anyway?"_

The great beast curled up lazily in his cage. _**"It is because for once, and don't let this go to your head, we are thinking alike."**_

"_Huh?"_

"… … … _**I … … I have feelings of… affection… towards Myra… There I said it. Don't make me admit it again."**_ Kyuubi turned up his nose at Naruto.

Naruto couldn't help but sit on the bed laughing. _**"It isn't as funny as you think it is Kit. It means something more serious."**_

Naruto calmed him self from the laughing fit. _"How can this be more serious?"_

"_**It is said that a Jinichuriki's true power comes when the host and demon think and act as one. Where Myra is concerned, you and I have a tendency to think and act as one. Your impulses to,"**_ Kyuubi licked his lips. _**"ravish her this morning weren't just your own."**_ Kyuubi grinned.

Naruto got angry. _"YOU BASTARD!"_

Kyuubi shrugged. _**"It wasn't the first time I came along for the ride, so to speak. I was just a little more subtle about it this time around."**_

"**MY RABBIT!"** Naruto heard his own voice growl. The blonde's eyes went wide.

Kyuubi chuckled wildly. _**"See what I mean."**_

"_Does this mean... I will turn into you the longer I stay with her?"_ Kyuubi could sense where this was going.

"_**Calm down Brat! It just means you and I have something we can agree on. Great Kami, I hate being honest with you, but I don't want you doing something stupid. If it were to come down to a battle of will between you and I... You would win. I can not over power your incorruptible spirit. I've known it since the fight with that Uchiha bastard at the Valley of the End.**_

"_**There have only been a few times I thought I could win, but even in each of those cases your rage and anger fueled my own wants and needs for destruction. We were of single thought and action. Your friends were there to bring you back from my grips. After the fight with Pein, and your defeat of him WITHOUT any of my power, I knew I would never again taste a spark of freedom.**_

"_**I had come to the conclusion that I couldn't beat you, but I wasn't going to join you. I was going to make your life a living Hell for the rest of our eternity together. Unfortunately, women have a distinct knack for throwing a wrench into the plan."**_

Naruto sat on the bed completely dumbfounded. _"So, I beat you?"_

"_**No, I pick my battles Brat. I choose not to fight with you anymore. This does not mean I will roll over and submit to your every whim. Myra's maybe, but not yours."**_ Kyuubi cross his paws over his chest.

"_Ok, so what does it mean?"_

Kyuubi sighed. _**"Once again, honesty is NOT my strong point. I haven't got a single clue as to what will happen. It will be an experience for both of us."**_

"_Am I going to sprout fur and tails?"_

"_**I don't think so, at least not yet anyway, maybe in a few hundred years or so. I wouldn't worry about it too much."**_ Kyuubi shrugged. _**"Now, I suggest you break those cuffs and start getting dressed. WE have a date."**_

0 – 0 – 0

The day was bright and the wind seemed to whistle a happy tune. The late spring, early summer breeze wafted the hints of some of the fairs tasty treats that awaited the seemingly normal couple walking hand in hand.

To the normal passer by they would have looked like two people hopelessly in love. The way the blonde boy in blue jeans and black t-shirt would brush her chocolate hair away from her face or how she would smile at him when he would wrap an arm around her waist. There were many shops the pair went in and out of. The ANBU assigned to watch her kept his distance. He had been warned of her ability to sense people from far away.

The tall slender cat masked ANBU watched as his blonde friend who would practically fall over himself in an attempt to make the girl smile. The couple came out of the Yamanaka Florist with Ino smiling and waving. "Thank you and Please come again."

Myra had a lavender orchid tucked in her hair that matched the lavender and white summer dress she was wearing. She was smiling brightly and glued to Naruto's arm. They were so... So... The ANBU couldn't really put his finger on the exact words. He was glad Naruto had finally found someone that could put up with him. Though no one could see the ANBU behind the mask, he was frowning. A Death Dealer would only break his friend's heart in the end.

The ANBU sighed and took his concentration off of the couple for a moment. Myra glanced behind her at the roof tops and scowled. Naruto was busy ordering some onigiri. He turned back to Myra staring at the roof behind them. "Rabbit?"

Myra turned back to Naruto with a smile. "Hmmm."

"What'ch ya starin' at?" He handed her one of the onigiri.

"Nothing, just my overactive imagination." Myra flashed him a disarming smile. Taking the tasty snack from him, she glued herself to his side and started to tug him towards the music that was playing. "Come on Pretty Boy; let's get to the pavilion before Sephie and Gaara think we skipped out on them."

Naruto had a mouth full of rice, but he gave her a goofy grin in acceptance of her instructions. They were walking again when Myra glance back to that same roof top. There was nothing there, but Myra's instincts told her quite clearly that they were being followed. She couldn't get a fix on him yet, but knowing he was there was stressful enough. Myra finished eating her rice ball and snuggled into Naruto's side.

The cat Masked ANBU's heart thudded in his chest. He couldn't tell if he had been discovered or not, but that glare was very reminiscent of Uchiha's. He took it as a warning. She knew he was there watching. He would have to keep a safer distance. The ANBU's orders were to keep watch on her until the council made a decision.

The ANBU went back to his apartment that wasn't that far away. He was going to try a different tactic. Stalking the girl wasn't going to work, and could have a violent outcome. Being out in the open would give him a chance to work on his social skills that were still in need of work according to Sakura, and keep an eye on the Death Dealer as he was instructed.

0 - 0 - 0

Naruto and Gaara stood next to each other with a rather grumpy look on their faces. Sephie and Myra were doting on the very pleased looking Konohamaru. He didn't have one; he had two beautiful girls playing right into his hands. Myra felt a little guilty about falling asleep right before his match. "I'm sorry Squirt; I didn't get to see it." Myra ruffled his hair. "I promise to make it up to you."

"I saw him really kick butt out there. You're pretty good... For a little kid." Sephie pinched his cheeks.

Konohamaru rubbed his sore cheek. "Who you calling little?"

"Pay no attention to them Konohamaru. You did good yesterday. I am glad to see you picked up the "old man's" summon contract." Naruto placed himself strategically between Myra and Konohamaru.

Konohamaru gazed at his feet and seemed to take a sad turn. Myra pushed Naruto aside, shaking her head slightly, and put her hand on Konohamaru's shoulder. The teen boy looked up at her with watery eyes. Myra smirked at him. "In your Grandfather's study, inside the ornate box, behind the large anatomy book, you will find what you're looking for. Have Ebisu-sensei help you find it." Konohamaru's eyes lit up with hope. Myra smiled at him. "You may want to sign it before you try and summon your little friend again." She put one of his hands between both of hers. A warm purple glow enveloped his hand. "You had help yesterday." She took his other hand and repeated the healing. "Summon creatures don't come out for just anyone you know." Myra let go of his hand and tapped him on the nose.

Naruto watched the girl of his desires show affection to the young boy. At first it was feelings of jealousy that came over him. But then he realized something. She wasn't looking at Konohamaru as a potential mate. Naruto hated that word... But in this case it fit. Myra looked at Konohamaru like a sibling, or even llike a mother would care for a child. Naruto hadn't really thought about that aspect of a relationship. People fell in love and then what? Got married? Had kids? _KIDS?_

"_**It is something you might want to think about someday."**_

"_Hokage first, then I'll think about that."_

"_**We may have to think about it sooner than you think. How do you think babies get made?"**_

Konohamaru had run off to find his summon contract and Myra had turned to see Naruto talking with his occupant. The Ravenheart girl thought it was very cute when he made that blank face of concentration. Myra latched onto Naruto's arm, pulling him out of his conversation. She raised an eyebrow. "What are you two talking about?"

Gaara blinked. "I have not said anything."

Myra giggled. "He wasn't talking to you." The Ravenheart girl winked at Gaara.

"Oh… When did he tell you?" Gaara asked curiously.

"When did who tell who what?" Sephie asked confused.

"Naruto likes to converse with his inner… ego…" Myra chewed on her lip in concentration. "No strike that. He converses with his inner libido." Myra started to giggle. Naruto stared at Myra with a raised eyebrow.

Sephie nodded dumbly at first and then shook her head. "I don't get it."

Myra scrunched up her face trying to think of a way to explain it with out actually coming out and telling Sephie about Naruto's tenant. "He talks to himself, ok." Myra shrugged. Naruto relaxed.

Sephie mockingly whipped sweat from her brow. "Good, cause what you said made it sound like he talked to his penis or something…"

Naruto face planted and Gaara cracked a smile and started to laugh. Myra was howling with laughter. Sephie blinked in mild confusion while she held Myra up from laughing. "You know, I really hate it when I'm not in on the joke." Sephie grumbled.

Myra took a deep breath and calmed her laughter. "It's ok Sephie. It's funnier that you don't know. "

Naruto had gotten up off the ground. "Yeah, Persephone is quit the comedian." he let out a nervous laugh.

"I like laughing at Naruto's expense." Gaara smiled.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Gaara laughing?" The blonde pointed an accusatory finger at the Kazekage. "Where is Gaara and who the hell are you?"

Myra snickered. "That IS Gaara you goof ball."

Naruto squinted his eyes at Gaara and stared for a moment. "You look like Gaara, except..." Naruto got closer to Gaara and inspected him. "Ah Ha! You've been sleeping." The blonde let that process for a moment.

"It takes him a few minutes to process the obvious." Gaara glanced over to Sephie, who blushed.

Myra smirked at her best friend. "You and I need to have some serious heart to heart girl chat later."

"Can I get in on that?" Sakura bounded up next to Myra and Sephie.

"Another girl's night out?" Myra grinned.

"NO!" There were three voices that resonated and made Myra hide behind Sakura.

Sasuke was looked as grumpy and pissed off as ever. "Hn. What was all the laughing about?"

"Gaara actually laughed and no one was being crushed to death." Naruto proclaimed.

Sasuke turned to Gaara. "I see his concern Gaara."

Gaara crossed his arms in front of him. "I was laughing at Naruto's expense."

Sasuke smirked. "Hn. Then by all means, continue."

"Moody ass screw balls..." Naruto grumbled under his breath. "Can we get to this whole fair thing and have some fun?"

"I think that would be a good idea." Myra smiled.

"I would like to know what was so funny that Gaara was laughing." Sasuke groused.

Myra smiled sweetly at Sasuke and gave him the mental run down. Sasuke coughed to hide the enormous grin spreading across his face. Sephie stood with her hands on her hips glaring at the crowd. "This isn't fair, I wanna know what's so funny."

Sasuke couldn't help it. "You're right, he does talk to his..."

Naruto slapped his hand over Sasuke's mouth**_. _"Not another word teme or I will spill secrets of you that could make Myra blush." **

Sasuke looked at Naruto with raised eyebrow. It was more than Naruto's voice that cause him to raise an eyebrow. It was the thought that Naruto could know about anything that happened while he was training with Orichimaru.

Myra got a wild grin on her face. "So... Who's Orochimaru and what was the baby oil for?"

Both Naruto and Sasuke face planted.


	65. The Stalking Painter

A/N: Sorry it took so long for the update. Just fair warning, with the holidays around the corner, I may be a little longer in my updates. Do not panic! I'm not going anywhere. The story will continue until I'm done.

Standard warnings: Rated "M" because it's an adult type story. I don't own Naruto. I do this to entertain my brain and keep me sane.

Chapter 65: The Stalking Painter

Sasuke wouldn't speak to anyone. His one word grunt became an answer to everything. Myra seemed a bit quiet after her laughing fit that caused Sasuke to spiral further into his sulking depression. She had pissed him off and she knew it and she didn't really care... Much...

Sasuke felt strangely upset by Myra's questions, even as disconnected as the questions were; in the context she asked them, she implied something that was unthinkable. Besides, Kabuto was Orochimaru's boy toy. And as devoted as Karin was to Orochimaru, there might have been something there as well, but Sasuke never wanted to think about it. Sasuke shook his head. He still didn't want to think about it.

Sasuke was walking by himself when he glanced up out of his thoughts. The girls had found a spot to sit and chat while Gaara and Naruto walked off to grab something to eat for everyone. _Kami, I hope it isn't ramen._

Myra glanced over at Sasuke and thought about saying something, maybe apologizing for picking on him. She was listening to Sakura and Sephie prattle on about something medical, but Myra was more interested in the stalker they had picked up in the last few minutes. _"Sasuke, I know you want nothing to do with me right now, but do you think you can go scare the stalker out into the open?"_

"_Hn."_ A door in her head slammed shut.

Myra smirked. _"Wow, I piss you off enough and you learn to slam the mental door. You get a cookie for today, or would you prefer pie?"_

"_Hn."_ Myra sensed his mood shift slightly for the better.

"_Not so much fun is it?"_

"_What?"_

"_Having someone else in your head that you don't want there."_ Myra raised a mischievous eyebrow.

Sasuke looked over at Myra. She looked like she was paying close attention to whatever Sakura and Sephie were talking about, but Myra's eyes were locked on him.

Sasuke closed his eyes and shook his head. _"You humiliated me on purpose? Why am I not surprised?"_

Myra smiled and tilted her head towards Sasuke. _"I don't do anything without a purpose. I humiliated you for several reasons, one, it was funny, two, you made it too damn easy, three, you needed to learn how to shut the door, four, you needed to focus your hostilities on someone that isn't going to take it personally and isn't afraid of bitch slapping you."_

"_Hn."_

"_Now you're mad because there is one more person that isn't afraid of kicking your ass half way across the village."_ Myra smirked. Her attention was brought back to the conversation with Sakura and Sephie when Sephie smacked Myra on the shoulder. "Ow... What?"

"Haven't you even been listening?" Sephie frowned at Myra.

Myra raised an eyebrow. "Would you be upset if I said no?"

Sephie and Sakura rolled their eyes. "We were discussing what happened to Nakahara from a medical standpoint."

"Nakahara who?" Myra looked confused.

Sephie stared at her friend for a moment and had to shake the shock off her face. "That Yakuza guy that tried to kidnap you the other night."

"And I care about this conversation why?" Myra turned up her nose.

Sakura blinked at Myra. "You aren't even curious how the man died?"

"His heart stopped beating, what more is there to know?" Myra blinked back at Sakura.

Sakura stared at Myra. "You aren't remotely interested that the man died?"

"If he had been someone I actually cared about, then yes I would be concerned. But Nakahara was a Yakuza mob boss guilty of several crimes against humanity." Myra stood up. "I'm gonna go take a quick walk." The topic wasn't something she really wanted to talk about anyway. Besides, the stalker had been inching closer every second. If no one was going to flush him out, she would.

Sakura and Sephie stared at Myra as she walked away. "What's her problem?" Sakura asked.

Sephie shrugged. "Myra can be funny about the subject of death sometimes. One minute the world must die. The next minute life is sacred."

"I don't really see Myra being overly violent." Sakura nodded.

Sephie let out a deep sigh. "I've seen her get violent once. The room got extremely cold and then all the lights in the hallway exploded. When the dust cleared and everyone was paying attention again, well, let's just say it's the reason everyone back home believes Myra caused Dante's accident."

"Who is Dante?" Sasuke's deep bravado sent chills down Sakura's spine. Sephie jumped slightly.

"I doubt she's going to say anything about him, 'cause she hates talking about it." Sephie looked away.

Naruto and Gaara walked up to the table with mounds of food. Sasuke was glad to see there was only one bowl of ramen. "What did we miss?" Naruto smiled and then immediately frowned as he noticed Myra's absence.

"Persephone was going to regale us with insight into Myra's violent history." Sasuke rolled his eyes. He didn't believe Myra could be truly violent either.

Gaara and Naruto sat down at the table and were going to listen carefully. Sasuke sat next to Sakura and they leaned in to listen to Sephie's story.

Sephie took a deep breath. "I wouldn't say Myra got violent, more like she scared the shit out of EVERYONE. It was about two weeks after the party she won't talk about."

"I hate to ask this question, but what party? And who is or was Dante?" Sasuke demanded.

Naruto frowned. "Dante was Myra's first…"

"Dante was the guy Myra was hung up on for a while until an after the big game victory party where the football team thought it would be fun to drug her and pass her around like a party favor. Dante was the ring leader of the whole idea." Sephie sighed. "There… Now you know. Meanwhile…After two weeks of Myra mopping around her house, I had finally convinced her that she needed to go back to school, despite the rumors. She needed to go back to being invisible for a while and just let it go away.

"Myra walked into class and ignored the snickers and whispers. She was fine until Dante got near her. The first few days after the party, Dante was the loudest of gossip mongers. A few days later it had gotten old, and he seemed worried about Myra." Sephie shrugged.

"By the Monday that Myra came back, Dante came to me before he approached Myra and asked if she was ok. He seemed relieved when I said she was alive. I told him he needed to just leave her alone, but he didn't listen. Dante approached Myra at her locker. I was down the hall and I don't know what Dante said to Myra or what Myra said to Dante that cause the sparks to fly… literally.

"The entire hallway got icy cold and it was hard breath. It was like the life was being sucked out of the hallway. Then the lights in the hallway started to explode, starting with the lights above Myra's locker and the explosions continued outward. After the screaming and panic died down, I saw Dante in a crater against the wall, his feet dangling in the air, Myra's hand around his throat, and her eye's were glowing a nasty red color.

"It was the first time I saw her eyes change color like that. There was more mass fear and panic from the watching crowd. Dante's buddies in crime took steps back when she turned to glare at them. They looked like they had seen a ghost. It was the scariest thing I had ever seen. Myra dropped Dante and just loomed over him for a second. Everyone heard her tell Dante that if he ever came near her again, she wouldn't hesitate to rip out his soul and feed it to the Great Lord of the Ethereal."

Naruto went pale. Myra had called the Kyuubi the Lord of the Ethereal once. _**"That's because it's just one of my titles."**_

"_I didn't think you ate souls."_

"_**Great Kami, Brat, did you never... You haven't, never mind. You need to take a trip to the library and read... It might do you some good to brush up on your folklore."**_

Sasuke looked pensive. "Dobe, what does the Kyuubi say about that?"

Naruto went pale again. "Huh?"

"What's a Kyuubi?" Sephie asked.

"The Lord of the Ethereal." Naruto looked away from everyone. Sasuke's eyes widened. Sakura gasped and Gaara nodded. "Why does it not surprise me?" Naruto sighed.

"What would it take to rip out a person's soul?" Sephie tilted her head.

"Theoretically, in order to remove a person's soul, you would have to exert a force of chakra equal to or greater than the soul you are trying to remove. In all cases of soul removal, the victim has died." Gaara kept his calm. Though he was extremely grateful to have Shukaku gone from him, the pain was not something Gaara liked to remember. "The pain of the extraction is excruciating and not something I would wish on anyone."

Naruto shivered. "I wonder if she can do it."

Sakura's eyes went wide. Sasuke glanced over at her. "Sakura, what is it?"

Sakura put it together. Myra's disappearance after the night club, Gaara's reference to death after a soul is removed, Nakahara's death, the other medical records she had been looking into because of Sephie's sudden interest in the shinobi aspect of all the Death Dealer murders, all of it clicked and Sakura figured it out. She blinked back at Sasuke. "I don't think one person is capable of doing something like that." Sakura covered.

0 – 0 – 0

Myra walked through the park for a little while until she found a nice shady tree. She took a seat under the tree and took the moment to just stare at the sky. It was a clear day, so there were no clouds. She was watching the birds fly about and listening to the other forest animals scurry about. Myra hadn't gone far from the table where everyone was sitting, eating and chatting.

She couldn't hear the conversation, unless she wanted to listen via Sasuke, but that would be an invasion he wouldn't like. She thought she done enough invading for one day. The stalker had followed her into the clearing area of the park. It was interesting how he had set out an easel and his paint brushes. He was doing and excellent job of pretending he had no interest in her.

Maybe he wasn't interested in her. It could be her over paranoid imagination playing tricks on her. Myra finally settled that it was her overactive imagination and relaxed against the tree. She closed her eyes for a moment and allowed her senses to wonder the park.

There was a family of small mice like creatures living in the roots of the tree. The tree had several nests of birds high in its branches. Deeper under the tree was a mole trying to find its way to a very large grub. She started to move her senses outwards. There was an emotional hot spot, or cold spot depending on your point of view, hovering around the area the painter was seated.

The boy himself was cold. Not unemotional, just cold. Myra snickered to her self. The boy was colder than Sasuke, if that was even possible. Myra moved her senses to the painting. There was plenty of emotion in the painting. Empathy had its draw backs, like being able to feel the emotions of every man, woman, creature, and departed spirit lurking around, but art was one of things that Myra could understand. Art was a window to a person's soul and a testament to the things a human could create rather than destroy.

If she had to describe the painting to a blind man, she wouldn't have been able to tell the poor guy much. The passion that flowed from the tip of his brush into each stroke was amazing. This was something the boy enjoyed. It gave him peace of mind and a medium to express the emotions he seemed to bottle up. Myra opened her eyes and stood up. He had been watching her, it was only fair that she went and watched him.

0 - 0 - 0

Sai watched Myra get up from under the tree. He had to admit she looked very much at peace with the world, snoozing under the tree. It was hard for him to believe she was as dangerous as she was. But then again, Sakura didn't look dangerous at first glance either.

Sai rubbed at his jaw. It had been several years since Sakura had hit him for being a complete ass and the bruise had gone away just as many years ago. That didn't mean that anytime Sai would think about appearances being deceiving, he would reactively rub at his jaw as a reminder.

He continued to paint the picture of Myra lazing under the tree. It was a nice piece. He had wanted to catch Shikamaru lazing under a tree or on his favorite roof top, but the chance never presented itself. This wasn't exactly the picture he wanted, but it would have to do until he actually caught the lazy bum.

Myra walked up behind Sai. "You're very good." She smiled.

"I paint to relax." Sai continued his brush stroke.

Myra stared at the painting and could see the emotion in each stroke. It wasn't the subject matter that invoked the emotion; it was the act of painting itself that made the boy want to paint. She smiled. "I can understand that. Some people train, others wrestle bears, I like to curl up on a couch with a good friend, pie, and a movie."

Sai blinked. "I did not see Naruto-kun as the type to sit through a movie."

Myra chuckled. "I don't know. I haven't tried it yet." She held out her hand. "Myra Ravenheart."

Sai stood up from his stool and took her hand. "I am Sai. I am pleased to meet you."

Myra's mind clicked. He had been following her all day until recently. She smirked like a cat that ate the canary. "Do you always stalk your subjects?"

Sai's face never wavered, but he did have an "oh shit" emotion. "I'm not a very social person. I may be friends with Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan, but Sasuke-kun and I do not really like one another." He went back to his painting.

Myra could tell Sai had feelings of attachment to Naruto as a friend, Sakura brought on sadness, but understanding, and a little fear of Sasuke. "I wouldn't worry about it. Sasuke hate's everyone. Once you have a healthy understanding of that, he's easier to get along with."

"He does not hate Sakura-chan." More sadness came from Sai.

Myra tilted her head. "Ok so there is one person on the planet Sasuke doesn't hate."

Sai stopped painting. "He does not hate Naruto-kun."

Myra furrowed her brows. "Do you at all understand the concept of sarcasm?"

"I read about it in a book, although I have yet to try my hand at it in conversation." Sai continued painting.

"So painting is your thing huh?" Myra nodded.

"It is very calming. I can let out the aggressions of the day in each stroke." Sai stopped again. "I am sorry I was… stalking you. I did not mean any harm."

"Pft. Don't worry about it. I didn't realize I was so unapproachable."

"I do not believe you are unapproachable; however, as I have already stated, Sasuke-kun and I do not get along very well." Sai's brush stroke seemed angry.

Myra smirked. "So... That doesn't mean you can't hang out with your friends." Myra grabbed Sai's hand. "Come on scardy cat... I will protect you from the big bad Sasuke."


	66. Prelude to Disaster

A/N: Hi ya'll! Hope you guys had the most awesome holiday season ever. Mine was ok and things should go back to normal or at least as normal as can be expected. Best Wishes to you and yours in 2009. (Good Bye to 2008!)

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought/"telepathic Communication"_

_**Kyuubi**_

WARNING: My New Year's Resolution is to write more, worry less, and get paid to write this stuff. Alas, I don't own Naruto. So I don't' get paid. Ever… Sad isn't it. Rated "M" for adult themes and situations.

Now on with the show!

Chapter 66: Prelude to Disaster

Dinner was turning out to be an interesting event. Sasuke and Myra were sitting at opposite ends of the long table. They weren't speaking to each other again. Sasuke wasn't speaking much at all. There was his usual one word grunt at the appropriate times. The entire gang had appeared from the wood work and joined together for dinner. It was the first time since the Chunin Exams of years ago that they had actually gotten together in one place.

There were a few extras at the table as well. Myra, sat next to Naruto listening to the stories of old times and past exploits. Several conversations started off with "remember that time when..."

Sephie was sitting nervously between Gaara and Kankuro. She was listening to the conversations of old times, shared memories, and was feeling a little out of place. There were a few, Shikamaru, Temari, and Kankuro in particular that would steer the conversation away from anything that had to do with any of Gaara's past. There was a time and place for Gaara to sit Sephie down and explain to her the ex-jinchuriki aspect of his life, but now was not that time.

Sai was sitting in the middle of the pack next to Ino, where it was safe. Myra had taken a long time to drag the anti social artist to the table of friends. And it was a disaster.

**Earlier that afternoon:**

Sasuke and Sai glared at each other. Naruto and Sakura exchanged nervous glances. Myra could feel the increasing tension in the air. Gaara and Sephie stepped back a few feet just in case sparks started to fly… literally.

Sai kept his blank emotionless stare. "I had heard you had been allowed back in the village."

Sasuke continued to glare. To Sasuke, Sai wasn't worth the energy to even grunt at. The Uchiha didn't like the pasty ROOT member the first time they met and he wasn't about to start.

Sakura smiled nervously. "Sai, what brings you out today?"

Sai blinked. "I had not had the time to be able to see anyone in a while so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to try and socialize in a large group setting."

Myra smirked. He was a horrible liar. He wanted to socialize, that part was very true; however, there was an ulterior motive to Sai's actions that he was trying to keep hidden. The Ravenheart girl again attached herself to Naruto's side. "So how do you know Naruto and Sakura?"

Sai looked fondly at Sakura. "A few years ago, while Sasuke-kun was a traitor, I was briefly assigned as his replacement on Team 7. I admit it was a tough spot to fill, but I think I did well. Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan, and I became friends. They have taught me a lot about friendship." The fake smile graced Sai's lips.

Myra felt Sasuke's anger begin to spike. "Is he trying to get himself killed?" Myra whispered to Naruto.

"At least he hasn't said anything about…" Naruto went pale when Sai opened his mouth and let the bomb drop.

"Sakura even attempted to teach me about dating for a while." Sai seemed to smirk in Sasuke's direction. The Uchiha's eyebrow twitched. "It wasn't as fulfilling as I had expected and I was disappointed." Sai regarded Sakura fondly. "I am glad that Sakura-chan and I we able to remain friends." Sakura looked as pale as Naruto did.

BOOM… The air started to crackle. Naruto didn't see Myra move. Sakura didn't see Sasuke move. They did hear the deafening chirping noise that was a tell tale sounds of Sasuke's Chidori. In a blink Sai was pushed back a few feet and Myra was standing where Sai had been. Sasuke's eyes, glowing red with anger, were narrowed at Myra. Myra was glaring right back at Sasuke, her eyes just as red.

Everyone else blinked and realized Myra had pushed Sai out of the way of the chidori aimed in his direction. Even Sai was dumbstruck by these events. The background faded for Sasuke. Shouts of concern and protests from the others never made it to Sasuke's ears. Myra had stepped in where she wasn't wanted and it pissed Sasuke off even more. The Ravenheart had her left hand firmly wrapped around the Uchiha's wrist, deflecting the still chirping Chidori to one side. Her right hand was curiously over his heart.

Sasuke felt the push on his chest and he was finding it hard to breathe. Myra's hand around his wrist was icy and cold. _"There is no need for violence." _Her voice in his head sounded eerily calm and even.

"Hn." Sasuke continued to glare at Myra.

"_If you want to fuck him up because he made a crack about Sakura's honor, then by all means light him up like mosquito hitting a bug zapper. However, if you're going to shove lightening up his ass for insulting that ego of yours, then you'll have to go through me to do it."_ Her stare was intense and serious.

The pressure on Sasuke's chest increased. It was becoming harder to breathe and the pain was difficult to ignore. He let the Chidori fade, and with it his Sharingan. Sasuke saw Myra glance behind him briefly. Her eyebrow twitched upward slightly and then she stepped back. She released his wrist first and the pressure in his chest dissipated before Myra removed her hand from his chest.

She blinked, letting her sharingan fade and Myra turned on her heel walking back to the stupefied Naruto. _"I find it interesting that Itachi is still alive."_

Sasuke blinked at Myra just before Sakura was standing in his vision, making a grumpy face at him. The Pink one was trying to explain the short and uneventful relationship she had with Sai. Honestly, Sasuke didn't care about it. Sakura was with him now, so that was enough proof for him that Sai meant nothing to her. It was the implication that Sai was replacing him that had made Sasuke want to tear up that pasty bastard's face.

Sasuke had been pissed about it the first time Sai had mentioned it when Sai had briefly joined Orochimaru's ranks. He could have killed him then and be done with the pasty faced bastard. Sasuke grunted in annoyance and shoved his hands in his pockets walking away from the group. Sakura was hot on his heels.

He needed to think. Sasuke did his best thinking when he was alone. He turned to Sakura. "It isn't you. I need to think." He snapped at her.

Sakura stopped and hung her head. "O-okay. Um... Sasuke... I..."

Sasuke walked back to her and looked at her straight in the eyes. "I'm not mad at you."

She looked away from him. "You're actions say differently."

Sasuke let out a deep sigh. His chest still felt heavy from what ever it was Myra was doing. "Sakura, I need to think about stuff. It isn't you." He lied. "I just need to be alone for a few minutes. I will meet you at the restaurant in a little while."

"I didn't love him." She said finally. "He could never take your place."

Something about that small confession lifted a lot of doubt off of Sasuke's mind and made him feel better about life. He smiled at her. It was the first genuine smile Sakura had seen on him in a long time. "Hn." He grunted and pulled her close to him. "I'll be back I promise."

"All right." She closed her eyes and laid her head on his chest. It took a moment, but Sakura picked her head up and looked at Sasuke with concern. "What did she do to you?"

Saskue was taken a back. "What?"

Sakura placed a warm hand on his chest over his heart. "There is slight damage to your chakra circulatory system, specifically around your heart." Her hand started to glow a soft green. The weight on his chest started to lift. Sakura extended her senses over Sasuke's heart. The medic nin could tell easily what Myra had done, and it scared her. _Any harder, and she could have force the Death Gate open. So this is what she can do?_ The mental turmoil was evident on Sakura's face.

When the glowing stopped Sasuke picked up her hand and kissed her palm. "You can heal my heart any day." It was cheesy and corny, but it made Sakura forget her internal turmoil and smile.

**Back to the present**

Sasuke and Sakura had talked briefly when he returned from his brooding. Sakura, though never actually coming out and telling Sasuke what she suspected, she did give the Uchiha several hints to the right direction. He had forgotten why he was angry at Sai, although he still didn't like the guy. He instead focused on Myra. She was slightly pale again, like she had been the day of the Chunin Exams. Things were beginning to turn over in his head and he wasn't exactly sure why. There was something strange about her behavior. There was something off about a lot of things.

Myra was leaning on Naruto for support like she had when she was exhausted. Sasuke scratched at his chest. It felt like his heart itched. There was something more he couldn't understand. How did she know Itachi was still alive? Sasuke hadn't talked about Itachi to anyone. When asked at the interrogation with Ibiki, Sasuke had answered flippantly and said, "He has been dealt with."

It was an answer that seemed to satisfy everyone. Sakura hadn't asked, Naruto hadn't asked and Sasuke wasn't going to volunteer the information. Yet the Crazy Bitch knew that Itachi was still alive. Sasuke picked at his dinner and growled at anyone that came near him, except Sakura. His mood had improved, but he was still angry. Sasuke still hadn't come up with any reason for him to be angry. Sasuke was just angry at the world for no particular reason. He had every right to be happy, yet there was Madara lurking somewhere. That was reason enough to be cautious, but nothing to be angry about.

0 – 0 – 0

Myra sat next to Naruto being unusually quiet. Her head was splitting itself wide open. She had pushed herself and it was an accident. Myra had reacted without thinking, placing her hand in the exact spot it needed to be. She was feeling a little guilty about it. Myra hadn't wanted to hurt Sasuke, and she would have healed the damage had the Fucktard not stormed off. She ate furiously and the added fuel would stabilize her chakra that was threatening to go crazy again.

This day had started like a dream and was turning into a bad date flick. As Myra ate she could feel her chakra begin to even out. She was still unstable, and realistically, she should be in bed or at the hospital resting. Myra shuttered momentarily at the thought of a hospital. It was never that she didn't like doctors or hospitals. She didn't like the emotions that were concentrated around hospitals. All those sick people with worried families or dead people with grieving families, it was enough to drive her over the edge of the little sanity she had control of. Dead children were always the hardest for her to deal with. There was nothing more heartbreaking then the spirit of a deceased child following living parents asking questions that could not be answered. Myra couldn't actually see the spirits of the departed without activating her Sharingan, but the empathy allowed her to feel the spirits none the less.

The image of the little girl Nakahara had murdered flooded her memory, along with the emotions of the little girl smiling at her when the girl realized her mother was on the other side waiting. Sasuke caught the images with a vague sense of those emotions and turned to look at Myra. Myra noticed his look of confusion, but he continued to ignore her. Some of her defenses had to be down if Sasuke could pick up on her stray mental ramblings. Sasuke felt Myra slam doors in her head and mentally throw up iron walls to keep him out. Moments after she did, Sasuke saw her smile sadly and look away from him. _"I'm sorry."_ She said in an echo from behind her defenses.

Naruto brushed up against Myra and realized she had gone cold again. "Hey," he nudged her slightly. "Are you ok?" He was genuinely concerned for her.

"Yeah, I'm ok." She smiled.

"You wanna go home? You look like you did yesterday, not as pale, but you do look a little drained." Naruto put he hand on hers and gave it a little squeeze.

Myra sighed. "I've got a lot on my mind right now."

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Naruto tried to encourage her.

Myra placed a kiss on his cheek. "I know, but not here and not now. Naruto, I am having a wonderful time." She blushed ever so slightly.

Naruto squeezed her hand again and smiled at her. They went back to eating, but Naruto never took his hand off of hers. As Myra ate, her temperature increased and the color returned to her cheeks. When Sai left with the excuse "I have a mission tomorrow." Saskue's mood improved. Dinner wound down and couples went separate ways back towards the fair.

0 – 0 – 0

They had left the restaurant together and Myra seemed to be better since she ate something, which to a few at the restaurant rivaled that of her blonde boyfriend. Even Naruto had commented that "It's the most I've ever seen her eat."

Myra smiled at him. "I'm hungry today."

Once again that day, she wasn't a ninja, a death dealer, or even a Ravenheart. She was just a girl out with her guy having fun at the fair. This was what she wanted to do a few nights ago. She wanted to go out with friends and just be normal. Sasuke was still being a grumpy puss and scowling at everything and everyone (except Sakura). Sakura was trying to get Sasuke to "lighten up". Sephie and Gaara were having a quiet one sided conversation about the theory of Fruit Cake. (There is but one Fruit Cake and it is passed from family to family over the years.)

The group friends came to a kunai toss booth that had the most adorable (or at least to Myra) stuffed nine tail fox she had ever seen. _**"I feel violated some how…"**_ Kyuubi grumbled in the back of Naruto's mind. The only thing Kyuubi got in response was roaring laughter.

Myra turned to Naruto with watery, puppy dog brown eyes. Now, Naruto had become accustomed to her pout, and he had even somewhat been able to defend against it. But this face of utter sadness screamed that the world would end in a fiery cataclysm should she not get that stuffed fox. She didn't even have to ask Naruto. He hung his head in defeat and walked to the booth. Sakura leaned over to Myra. "Can you say whipped?"

"Damn skippy." Myra laughed impishly behind her hand.

Sasuke was standing next to Naruto. "You are such an idiot."

"Shut up teme…" Naruto handed the man at the booth some money. "How many times do I have to hit the target to get one of those?" The blonde pointed at the stuffed fox.

"Oh him?" The old man pulled down the stuffed fox. "Have a thing for foxes do ya boy? I could tell you stories that would curl your nose hair about the Nine Tail Fox."

"_**Do I have to listen to the banter? Win the damn thing before I break out of here and kill the old coot myself."**_ Kyuubi growled.

"_Aren't you a bit jumpy tonight?"_ Naruto mentally jabbed.

"_**You would be a little upset too if you had been reduced to a fairy tale and a stuffed effigy."**_

"_Think of it this way… Myra is going to hug it and squeeze it and call it George."_ The blonde snickered.

"_**Small conciliation prize if you ask me. You get all the love and what do I get? A small plush toy replica she will call George! I should never be associated with cute and cuddly. I am fearsome and evil. I demand respect!"**_ Kyuubi growled.

"_Come off it Fur Ball… If you had the chance to play cute and cuddly to be in Myra's lap getting a good scratch behind your ears you would play it for everything you could."_ Naruto grinned.

_**"… … … **__**Touché … Are you sure you want to win if for her so badly?"**_ Kyuubi chuckled.

Naruto turned around to glance back at Myra who was still pouting. The blonde boy cringed from that look. **"How many times do I have to hit the target?"**

"Ten in a row." The old man grinned.

"_**Sucker…"**_ Kyuubi laughed.

"Whipped…" Sasuke scoffed.

Naruto picked up the ten kunai. **"Shut up Uchiha…"** The blonde snapped. Myra waited until the group was focused on Naruto's attempts to hit the target when she glanced behind her. She had noticed the ANBU following them for a while now, but it had only been recently that the five of them had gotten closer. If they were there to keep tabs on Gaara, that was one thing. They would keep their distance. If they were there to keep an eye on Sasuke, they would keep their distance. But they were getting too close for her comfort level. Something was very wrong.

After Naruto's forth or fifth attempt, Myra had her stuffed Kyuubi in her arms. She hugged the creature mercilessly and kissed Naruto just as mercilessly. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the display of affection. Sephie and Gaara were still debating Fruit Cake and Sakura glared at Sasuke jealously.

Myra had released Naruto, who despite loving the attention, needed air to breathe. Myra had a huge grin on her face until two of the ANBU dropped into sight. Myra knew they were there for her. It was obvious to her. She didn't understand why, but she was their target. "Myra Windfeather Ravenheart?" The one in the Cat mask asked.

Myra smiled. "Yes."

"You are to come with us."


	67. Disaster Strikes

Previously….

_Myra had released Naruto, who despite loving the attention, needed air to breathe. __Myra__ had a huge grin on her face until two of the ANBU dropped into sight. __Myra__ knew they were there for her. It was obvious to her. She didn't understand why, but she was their target. "__Myra__ Windfeather Ravenheart?" The one in the Cat mask asked._

_Myra__ smiled. "Yes."_

"_You are to come with us."_

Chapter 67: Disaster strikes

"What for?" Naruto belted out and stood protectively between Myra and the ANBU.

"What he said…" Sakura Echoed.

"What is the meaning of this?" Gaara used his commanding Kazekage voice.

"We have orders to escort Ms. Ravenheart to the Council Chambers."

"Wow… Council Chambers? Who'd I piss off this time?" Myra laughed.

"Myra, I don't think sarcasm is a good idea right now." Sakura warned.

Sasuke just shook his head and stayed out of it. He wanted to see what she was going to do. Heck, he wanted to see why it was going to take two of them to "escort" Myra to the Council Chambers.

"Ms. Ravenheart, we are under direct orders to take you to Council Chambers, by force if necessary." The cat masked ANBU tone was serious and even. Myra felt the concern in his attitude towards her.

Myra studied the emotions she was getting from the five ANBU. They had been briefed on ALL of her abilities. They were prepared for her to resist. The one in the Cat mask in front of her was Sai, and now she understood why he had been following her all day long. There was something definitely wrong and she needed to think fast.

"Please come quietly Ms. Ravenheart." They didn't see the scowl on Sai's face. He didn't like this situation in the least, but there wasn't much he could do. He was under orders to bring her to Chambers. "I do not want to cause a scene."

The second ANBU stepped forward. His mask looked like that of a turtle. "We wouldn't want your friends to get hurt." Myra narrowed her eyes at this ANBU. He wanted her to fight, to run, or just cause a nice little tussle. Worse then that he had threatened her friends, and that she couldn't have.

Myra grinned. "Well… If you're going to threaten my friends, then I suggest you bring the rest of your team out of hiding. You're going to need them."

Naruto whipped around to stare at Myra like he had never met her before. Her voice was the same, but it was… evil. "What are you talking about? There are only two of them."

"Hn… Correction… There are five." Myra sneered.

Sasuke pushed off his wall as the other three ANBU dropped into sight. He shot glances from Myra to ANBU and back to Myra. _"You don't seriously plan on resisting?"_ Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Myra shot Sasuke a wicked smile. _"Who said anything about resisting? I just wanted to let them know I knew there were five."_

The five ANBU had Naruto's undivided attention. "What the hell? Five of you pricks to take one person to see the council? Come on… You guys are getting weaker by the day."

"Naruto Uzumaki, this is none of your concern." The Cat stated coolly. Sai didn't want Naruto involved. Sai's Turtle masked companion was in over his head and either didn't realize it or didn't care.

"I would like to know why?" Gaara had crossed his arms and was glaring dangerously at the Cat ANBU.

Sai didn't have a chance to answer the question without giving away too much.

"Myra Ravenheart, AKA the Death Dealer, S-Class ninja is wanted for interrogation in the connection with a murder." The Turtle stated firmly.

Myra closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "That was SO not necessary."

There was an expression of shock that was mirrored on Sasuke's and Sephie's face. Naruto's expression was more confused than anything else. "Death Dealer?"

Myra took a deep cleansing breath and handed the stuffed Kyuubi over to Naruto. "I'll be back for that." And kissed him on the nose. Myra walked up to the Cat masked ANBU. "I'll go quietly."

Saskue flickered in front of the Cat ANBU. "You aren't taking her anywhere."

Myra put her hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "It's ok. I needed to talk with Lady Tsunade anyway. I was going to do it tomorrow." Myra shrugged. "I guess she needs to see me sooner than later." Myra smiled sadly.

Sasuke glared at her. _"Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_It was a need to know thing… I didn't think you needed to know… Just like Sephie didn't need to know… Just like Naruto didn't need to know. But now you know… So life is a little easier to deal with."_ Myra smiled. The Turtle ANBU took that moment to shackle Myra's hands behind her back._ "Sasuke, keep Naruto from going ballistic will you? I may be a while."_

The ANBU started to walk Myra away. She looked back at her friends with a smile, but Sasuke could sense this was not a good thing. Sakura was the one holding Naruto back as they shackled Myra and Gaara was now adding to Sakura's strength as they were trying to hold down the blonde force of nature. Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Pipe down dobe…" the Uchiha snapped at Naruto.

"You just stood there… You stood there and let them haul her off! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Naruto broke free of Sakura and Gaara.

Sasuke put a hand on Naruto's chest to keep him from following the ANBU. "We can't help her if we're in jail too you moron." Sasuke shook his head.

0 – 0 – 0

The five ANBU were surrounding Myra as the walked silently, Sai taking the lead. Myra had a slight smirk on her face when they turned the corner. The shackles they had put on her were chakra inhibiting, so she couldn't use a simple escape jutsu to get out of them. This is why she had learned a few other tricks that didn't require chakra. Besides, they were not used to a ninja that didn't use ninja tricks. They were a few steps around the corner when she addressed the Cat ANBU. "Excuse me Cat boy… But who exactly am I accused of murdering?" She resisted calling him by his name. She knew from her father that the minute the mask goes on they are a completely different person. Myra understood that all to well.

"I do not know the details of the accusations, all I was told was that we were to bring you directly to Council Chambers." He kept walking. He was hit in the back of the head with the shackles. The Cat stopped and turned around.

Myra just smirked. "The shackles weren't needed. I'm just a lowly chunin…" Myra was still walking. The other four had stopped and were looking to the Cat for answers. She kept walking in the direction of the Hokage's tower and had stepped past the Cat by a few paces. "Well are you coming, or not?"

"You are nothing like what the hand book says." There was confusion in the Cat's voice. Sai was completely baffled. The Bing book talked about how dangerous the Death Dealers were. They could cause death before the target knew they were dead. Someone had to be cold and completely devoid of emotion to be able to do something like that. Myra was a contradiction, or a very good actress.

"Which part of that Bingo book are you talking about? Myra Ravenheart isn't even listed in the Bingo book… I'm insignificant." Myra answered flipantly. "The Death Dealer on the other hand, I can see where I get my reputation." She smirked.

"You don't look like an eighty year old man…" The Turtle scoffed.

"I would certainly hope not!" Myra crossed her arms defensively.

The Turtle masked ANBU walked up to Myra and looked down at her like she was nothing. Myra could feel the disappointment coming off of him. He seriously thought she was going to be more of a challenge for him. Myra rolled her eyes. "Amateurs."

"This is the Death Dealer?" The Turtle pushed her to get her to start walking again. "I think the Hokage had a little too much sake, or completely gone senile because you are nothing to be worried about."

Myra flickered out of sight for a split second. Sai almost panicked. The Turtle ANBU and the rest of his team were stunned by the nerve she had to run from them. The Turtle delighted in the idea of a chase for the girl. He made a few hand signals and the other three disappeared just as quickly as Myra had. Sai and the Turtle were about to go on their own search when they noticed a cold chill travel through the air. It was the eeriest feeling that Sai had ever experienced.

The Turtle felt it too and it excited him. He was going to test his skills against an "S" class ninja worth his salt. He turned around and it was like death was standing in front of him. Myra stood there with a black chakra aura surrounding her. No color in her cheeks, no light in her eyes, and the air of death surrounded her like a protective shield.

Sai watched as time literally slowed. He couldn't move and he couldn't help the over zealous jerk that had insulted Myra in some way. Sai had watched her go toe to toe with Sasuke's speed, shoving him out of the way and blocking the Chidori. This couldn't possibly end well for his temporary team mate. He had only gone along because he thought maybe he could reason with Myra to go quietly, and she had.

Myra raised her eyes to gaze at the Turtle masked ANBU. Fear coursed through the Turtle's veins. He had read the stories and heard the rumors of the Death Dealer. He never thought it could be true. He was ANBU, fear was not in his vocabulary. Yet, he was afraid of this young girl. It wasn't killing intent. Killing intent was a way ninja could give an unspoken warning. There was a chance to defend and turn the tables. Myra's glare told the Turtle he was already dead. There was no defense or hope to survive.

He blinked and she was gone again. The Turtle took a breath to still his nerves and Myra appeared behind him holding a kunai at his throat. There was a sadistic smile on her lips and her voice matched. "I can feel your fear." Her breath was cold on his ear. "And it excites you."

"MYRA!" Rai called out. "Let him go." He was perched on a roof above them. He was dressed in ANBU armor, but was not wearing his Bear mask.

Myra glanced up to her father with cold eyes. "Why? So he may continue to dishonor his Hokage?"

"I said let him go." Rai's voice boomed.

Myra pushed the Turtle ANBU forward. Sai blinked and he could move again. The Turtle ANBU turned to face Myra. She wasn't paying attention to him. Myra slipped the kunai back in its space between her breasts. Myra looked up at her father. "Father, there is some damage control that you may have to attend to while I am speaking with the Council. This idiot," she thumbed to the Turtle, "spilled the beans." Myra crossed her arms.

Rai's hardened expression never changed and Myra could feel his disappointment directed at her. Myra's façade broke. She uncrossed her arms and looked up at her father with confusion. He had never been disappointed in her before. The moment she could feel his shame of her, it was something that was completely foreign to her. "Dad? What's wrong?" Her shaky voice made it clear to him that she really didn't know what was going on. The black aura started to dissipate and color started to come back to Myra's face.

Rai dropped from the roof top perch next to Myra. "Last night a council member was killed and the preliminary report says that he was killed by the Ten no Shi."

Myra's eyes went wide with surprise. It was at that instant that Rai knew his daughter was innocent. "I might be reckless at times, but I sure as HELL am NOT suicidal."

Rai put his hand on her shoulder. "I know I just had to be sure." He turned to the Turtle ANBU who was standing as if froze in place not really knowing what to do. "Captain, I think we should continue to the Council Chambers and call back your team."

Myra turned back to Sai. "You could have told me."

"It was not my mission to do so." Sai lowered his head.

Myra took a deep breath. "Do me a favor... Go get Naruto, Sasuke and Gaara. If this is a council meeting, then by all rights Sasuke should be there." Sai nodded and disappeared.

Rai picked up the shackles. "Do you think you can be compliant for a little while?"

Myra shrugged. "I guess. But if that bastard says another thing to me, I won't hesitate to shove the shackles up his..."

"MYRA! Please be serious for a moment." Rai said in exasperation.

Myra turned her still very nasty glare back to the Turtle. "Who said I wasn't being serious?"

Rai wasn't going to argue with that one and looked over that the Turtle. "Word of advice kid... Don't talk, just walk."


	68. Trial of Revelations

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought/"telepathic Communication"_

_**Kyuubi**_

WARNING: I don't own Naruto... Rate "M" for Adult themes, situations, and language.

Now on with the show!

Chapter 68: Trial of Revelations

Myra stood in the center of the Council chamber. She had her head held high and a slight smirk on her face. It was a complete cover. She was terrified. Myra knew what this could mean. It had been made very clear what the charges were. She was being accused of Wakanashi's murder. The council had been convened and the evidence had been overwhelming. As far as the council knew, Myra was the only person capable of performing the Ten no Shi jutsu. Since the council believed Madara to be dead, she couldn't come out and tell them it was HE that had taught her the jutsu to begin with.

"Do you know why you are here?" Hiashi Hyuuga circled her like a shark ready to strike.

"Yes. I am accused of a murder I could not have committed." Myra answered confidently. "I want to know why the Uchiha isn't here. This is a FULL Council meeting is it not?"

Hiashi grinned. "Because of his relationship with you, it was decided that his presence would only impede this trial."

Myra addressed the Council. "If I am to be accused of a murder and tried by the council, then I request the entire council be present during my trial. If I am not mistaken, I am allowed an advocate. I choose the Uchiha to be my advocate. In this capacity, he would not be able to impede the trial, nor would he be able to vote in my innocence or guilt. I would also like to remind the council that I am INNOCENT until proven guilty."

Hiashi glared at Myra throughout her plea to the council. He could hear the whispers from the council members surrounding them. Even if was clear from the evidence that Myra was guilty of this crime, she was allowed an advocate and she was innocent until her guilt could be proved. It could be seen as a good faith gesture on his part to allow her this little circus until he completely had control of the council. It was what Hiashi was promised after all. "Have ANBU fetch Uchiha-sama immediately. I would not want Myra denied her advocate."

Myra lowered head and tried to hide her chuckle. Hiashi narrowed his eyes at the girl in front of him. "What is so amusing?"

"I apologize, Hyuuga-sama, but Sasuke is entering the building at this very moment."

"And you find this amusing?"

"What I find amusing is you tried so hard to keep him out of this trial. It must suck to know you failed." Myra shook her head with a nasty smirk on her lips.

Hiashi just glared at her. A few minutes later, Sasuke was lead into the council chamber. Myra could hear Naruto yelling at the ANBU guards on the other side of the doors. Sasuke walked up to Myra, glaring the entire way. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." Myra shrugged.

"Who did you kill?"

"I didn't kill Wakanashi." Myra said flatly.

Sasuke studied her for a moment and the turned to the rest of the council. "I want time to figure out what the hell is going on."

"This is absurd! The evidence is clear. Wakanashi-san was killed with a jutsu used only by the Death Dealer because she is the only one that can use it. The council is aware of this fact. Besides which, the Ten no Shi jutsu was declared forbidden by this council hours after it was first demonstrated to the council. I see no reason why this council should give you any time at all." Hiashi sneered. Myra was keeping her attention on the Hyuuga. His true intentions were becoming clear. His lust for power was becoming more and more apparent. It was if this was one of the last steps before he had the power he needed.

"I didn't know any of this crap." Sasuke growled. "I wasn't given any information on any council matters regarding the Death Dealer. I'm kind of new to this council, Hyuuga, but I do think I am supposed to have a say in council affairs."

The Hyuuga lord laughed. "The once great Uchiha clan is a treacherous young boy that can not be trusted with such affairs, let alone understand them."

Sasuke clenched his fists and was about to tear into the Hyuuga. Myra stood between Sasuke and Hiashi. _"Don't let him bait you. Keep calm and do exactly what I tell you to do. There is something very wrong here, and you are going to need the time to figure it out."_

Sasuke kept his glare at Hyuuga for a few more seconds before he turned his attention to Myra. _"I want a FULL explanation when we are out of this room."_

Myra looked away from Sasuke. _"It's complicated and can wait until later. In the meantime, do exactly what I tell you."_

Saskue and Myra exchanged a few glances. Sasuke grumbled under his breath and turned to address the council. "I will have to agree that I am young and inexperienced with council matters." Sasuke snarled through gritted teeth. "I would also have to agree that it was my own actions that have caused the council's mistrust. However, I have put that life behind me and I would like to be able to prove to this council that I can be trusted. I can only prove myself if this benevolent council gives me the opportunity to do so. The lack of understanding and communication causes further mistrust." Sasuke bowed to the council. "I humbly ask the council for this opportunity to prove myself worthy of the Uchiha seat on the council."

Hiashi was furious. Myra had a proud smirk on her face. The normally silent and apathetic Uchiha had said a mouth full. The amassed council muttered and whispered thoughts amongst themselves. Even Tsunade had to whipe the amuzed smirk off her face. After a few minutes of the chatter Sasuke became increasingly annoyed. _"If you really did kill this guy, I am going to kill you myself. And if they whisper any longer I may kill you anyway."_ Sasuke glared at her.

Finally the Hokage stood up. "Sasuke Uchiha the council appoints you as Myra Ravenheart's advocate."

Sasuke stepped forward. "Lady Hokage, member's of the council, I formally request a forty eight hour delay in this trial. I must be able to familiarize myself with the trial procedures, laws, ethics, and the situation if I am to properly defend Myra."

"You have forty eight hours to do so." Tsunade pounded a gavel on the table. "In the meantime, Myra will be taken the high security lock down. She will not be allowed visitors, except for her Advocate and family. This council is adjourned." Tsunade pounded the gavel again. The council members started to exit the chamber. Five ANBU surrounded Myra and started to take her away. The doors to the chamber burst open and Naruto came charging through. Sasuke managed to stop him before he could get to the ANBU.

"Lady Tsunade, please… Five minutes… or this is going to be ugly." Myra pleaded.

Tsunade glanced from Myra to the already changing Naruto. Tsunade gave the ANBU a signal. "Five minutes." And she walked away.

The ANBU let go of Myra and Sasuke let go of Naruto. Hiashi watched in the shadows as the two embraced. Was it possible Myra was bluffing that day in his office? The Hyuuga was so sure Myra was just pulling Naruto along on a string. Myra was a Death Dealer and an Uchiha after all. There was no room in her life, let alone her cold heart for love. Is it possible that she was taming the demon? She could make the Uchiha sing the way she wanted him too, why was it so hard to believe she can tame the Nine Tail Fox as well? It was no wonder Madara wanted her so badly.

Myra ran to Naruto and let him hold on to her. "I'm sorry." She sobbed.

"Shhh." Naruto stroked her hair. He calmed as she did. "As long as you're safe…"

"You know me," she chuckled. "I get myself into all kinds of trouble."

"Myra did you really kill a council member?" Naruto stare bore into her.

"No… I couldn't have. But that is an explanation for later." Myra looked away.

"Rabbit, it's ok to be scared." The ANBU were starting to move closer to her and Naruto held on to her protectively.

"I'm not scared when you're here." She nuzzled her head in to his chest. She heard him emit a very deep growl.

Naruto looked at her with red slitted eyes. **"I could just take you out of here and they wouldn't be able to say or do anything about it."**

"And where exactly would you take me?" Myra smiled.

"**Away from here."** Naruto pulled her closer and turned her away from the encroaching ANBU.

"Running away never solved anything. Think of it this way, you'll know where I am." She twisted her hands, forgetting she was shackled.

There was a snap of metal that made everyone that was still in the room jump when the metal chains hit the floor. Myra's hands were free to move again. Naruto glared at the ANBU dangerously for a moment and then turned his stare to the Lady Hokage. **"I see her shackled like an animal again and I will not hesitate to rip out their hearts."**

Tsunade understood the boy's warning all too well. The blonde Hokage closed her eyes and held up her hand. The ANBU stepped back. Tsunade turned her attention to an ANBU in a white cloak standing beside her and gave instructions to be very careful in how they treated Myra, not because of her abilities, but the danger of the newly refurbished maximum security cell block being destroyed.

Myra placed her hand on his cheek. "I know how you feel now."

"**I don't like the idea of you in a cage."** Naruto growled.

Myra pulled his face to look at his eyes. "You need to be calm my Love. Help Sasuke and my father find the truth. They will need you," she put her hand on the seal on his stomach, "both of you, much more than you think. I need you."

Something in Myra's voice reached into Naruto and the red tint in his eyes faded to blue, but the slits remained. **"If they hurt you…"**

"You'll be the first to know." She placed her hand over his heart. "Find your center and I will be there waiting." Myra whispered. "Know that I love you." Naruto lowered his head and they kissed. Myra was jerked away from him by two of the ANBU guards. There was a tear sliding down her cheek. "Wait for me?"

Naruto clenched his fists at his sides, watching them take her away. **"Always."**

0 – 0 – 0

Sephie was watching for the main entrance with Gaara at her side. Sephie clutched Gaara's hand. "It's about time she let it out." The blonde girls sniffled.

"I do not understand why she did not tell Naruto about her identity as a Death Dealer." Gaara blinked at Sephie.

"Hey, I'm pretty pissed she didn't tell me." Sephie nodded.

"I understand the reasons she would not tell you that kind of information. No disrespect Persephone, but that kind of information could have put you in great danger. I can respect Myra-san for not telling you. It is the same reason I would not tell you. It is not the same reason, however, that I was forbidden to divulge the information to Naruto weeks ago."

Sephie gazed at Gaara with an expression of shock. "You knew? You've known? How?"

"I am the Kazekage. As Myra has said on several occasions, rank hath its privileges. Also, Suna is in trade negotiations with Ravenheart Industries. The services and cooperation of the Death Dealers is part of those negotiations. I was briefed fully on what the Death Dealers do. I was told an example of those services would be provided upon request. It just so happens that this Nakahara man was discovered in Konoha. I received a message from Lady Tsunade that she had signed Nakahara's Death Warrant as had the Council of Konoha. The demonstration was most effective and most informative. Although, Myra's methods were not what I would consider apporpriate." His voice was even and clam. "Where I do not see a need for Death Dealers in Suna, I can see their usefulness in other areas."

"I completely forget that you're the Kazekage sometimes." She smiled and shooker her head. "I guess it isn't something that's important to me."

"I am glad that you do not make it a priority. I prefer you think of me as… me." It was a revelation for Gaara. Persephone didn't see him as the Kazekage of Suna, Gaara of the Desert, or even as the ex-jinchuriki of the blood thirty Shukaku. She saw him.

Sephie giggled. "How else am I supposed to think of you? I see most people walk on pins and needles around you. It's funny really. I guess they don't know you that well."

"No… They do not." Gaara agreed.

Sephie was still laughing. "I mean it's not like you're going to snap and go psycho killer on everyone."

"There was a time when I would have done just that." Gaara stepped back from her waiting for her reaction.

Sephie stopped laughing. Gaara didn't make jokes. Well, he did, but they were subtle and rather humorous. This was serious. Sephie tilted her head. "I don't understand."

"Before I met Naruto Uzumaki I would kill anyone I thought was in my way. There was no reason to it beyond my own twisted want for recognition. I wanted to prove I existed and blood raining down on me was one of the many ways I proved my existence." Gaara turned his gaze away from Sephie. He did not want to see the fear in her eyes.

"I loved no one but my self or cared for anyone but my self. I did not understand what it was to love or be loved. I very nearly killed Rock Lee. I tried to kill Sakura and I tried to kill Sasuke. Trying to kill Naruto turned out to be much more enlightening than existence proving. Naruto beat the understanding into me. Even after we had both exhausted each other from battle, Naruto was still determined to protect his precious people. I could not understand how it was he was so strong.

"At first I thought it was because he was a lot like me. We were both hated, feared, and shunned by the village we were sworn to protect. Then he told me he understood my pain, suffering, loneliness, and the darkness I wallowed in. He said that his friends had brought him out of that darkness. Naruto explained that he wouldn't losse his friends. Then, even in his exhausted state, he told me he would kill me if I continued to threaten his friends. To this day, I still believe he would kill me without hesitation should I ever threatened his friends again. In the process I became his friend. I learned what a bond with people was. I gained a kind of peace I never dreamed possible when I was younger.

"The reason people are afraid of me is because they believe I am a monster. For a long time I was a monster. Now I am Sabaku no Gaara, Godiame Kazekage of Sunagakure, it is my duty and honor to protect my village and family with my life. I do it selflessly and without hesitation. I have changed much since the battle with Naruto Uzumaki and I am no longer the monster I was. However, there are people that still see the monster and fear it greatly." He turned his eyes back to her and waited for her reaction.

Sephie blinked at Gaara. He had just poured his heart out to her and all she could do was blink in confusion. She felt touched. It was the most he had actually said to her in one go. His confession didn't change her opinion of him. Gaara was still the sweet, sensible, shy, brooding and mysterious man she was learning very quickly to love. She balled her fists on her hips. "I said it once and I'll say it again. I don't get why people walk on pins and needles around you. This is all stuff that happened yesterday… Tell me what you did today?"

It was Gaara's turn to blink in confusion. "Once again Persephone, you have caught me at a loss for an answer." Sephie sighed and bonked Gaara on the head. "Why did you hit me?" He rubbed the top of his head and stared at her thoroughly confused.

"An old wise monkey once said… It doesn't matter, it was in the past." Sephie smirked. "I didn't know you back then. There are a few things about your past that concern me, but I am willing to work through those things." She put her hand on his cheek. "I don't see you as a monster. I never have, and I don't think I could. The Gaara I met and know has been nothing but patient and kind to the outsider who talks way too much and asks tons of stupid silly questions when there is something I don't understand. The Gaara I have spent the last month with is none of those things you described. So I don't know THAT Gaara and I never will. I know YOU." She looked down at the floor. "I love you." She whispered almost inaudibly.

Something somewhere started to sing in the back of Gaara's mind. It was the last thing he ever thought to expect from anyone, let alone a girl. He put his hand on hers and she snapped her gaze up to his. There was a moment where hazel and sea foam green were lost in the unfathomably depths of each other. Sephie smiled at her Kazekage and the stoic stone faced Gaara smiled back. Before either had really been paying attention, his lips had lowered to capture hers in a tender kiss.

0 - 0 - 0

Naruto was standing at the doors and had heard the last few moments of the conversation between Sephie and Gaara. Though upset about his own situation, Naruto couldn't help feeling the small amount of happiness for his friend.


	69. Was it all a Dream

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings:I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 69: Was it all a dream

Midoriko woke with a start. She sat up in the lavish bedroom her Master afforded her. The red cotton sheets of Midoriko's bed were soaked with the sweat from her dream. The woman placed a hand over her pregnant belly and she sighed heavily. The Master had been very kind to allow her to stay in his palace in her condition. It wasn't often a pregnant woman, with no husband she could remember, could find someone that would take her in off the streets, let alone treat her like a queen.

Midoriko got out of the overly large bed, pulling her silk kimono on around her. The winter had come early to the village the Master protected. She would not wish to show disrespect for the Master if she were to catch a cold. The woman wrapped her arms around her shoulders and walked to the balcony. Her mind was racing with the dreams of something she couldn't place. Images of the blonde boy and his friends haunted her dreams and the roar of the beast that echoed in her nightmares. Other faces haunted her, but none of them had plagued her as much as the blonde boy with the piercing blue eyes.

Midoriko rested her hand on her swollen belly and felt the baby kick her. "I take it you are hungry." Her hand received another kick in response. The woman smiled. "Then I suppose I will have to sneak my way down stairs for a bite to eat."

It was always cold in the hallways of the palace of the Mizukage, but she had become used to the chill from the constant presence of water around the palace. The gardens that surrounded her chamber always looked beautiful bathed in the moonlight. Midoriko stopped for a moment to appreciate the beauty, but the growing child in her belly had other ideas. He was hungry and kicked her from the inside to make his mother very aware of his displeasure with her stopping to admire the gardens. "If you could see the garden, my little one, you wouldn't be so impatient."

Some thought Midoriko crazy for talking to her unborn child this way, but the Mizukage had told the servants to allow her this small comfort. After all, she had no memory of how she got into the predicament she was in. The first thing she could remember was waking up a few months ago in the lavish bedroom she had been sleeping in for most of the duration of her stay.

Her lord and savior, as far as she was concerned, regaled her with the story of how he had been returning from a trip to the Hidden Sound village, when he came across her beaten and bruised form clutching the Leaf village headband in her hand. He surmised that she had been attacked by those evil bastards and left for dead.

When she had woken up from her traumatic experience and found out she was carrying a child, he had suggest that in the condition he had found her, it was a possibility the Leaf ninja did more than beat her within an inch of her life. At first her mind would not accept such a thing. As the weeks went past her, she made the conscious choice that regardless of the possibilities of the father's actions; it was not the child's fault. She would keep the child.

At first the Mizukage seemed concerned by her choice to have an unknown man's baby. Midoriko had smiled and placed a hand on her not so swollen belly at the time. "This is a new beginning I can look forward to. What better way to start a new life?" She had flashed the Mizukage a disarming smile.

"As long as you are happy." He stated in a quiet tone. Midoriko had been given quarters outside the palace, but after a raid on the small, but powerful village of the Mist, the Mizukage had her moved to the Mizukage palace for her protection. He had even given her a body guard of her very own. He was tall and looked like a shark in human clothing. Midoriko and Kisame had become friends for the most part. They had an understanding. He would give her all the freedom she wanted, as long as he went with her everywhere. It did not, however, stop her from sneaking away in the still of the night for a late night snack. She would always come back to her room with something for him as an apology for sneaking away.

A few weeks ago, before the weather turned cold, Midoriko had been feeling very closed in by the Mizukage. She wanted to walk in the sun and feel the grass between her toes. She didn't know how she knew how to sneak so well, but she was able to slip past her constant body guard; past the guards at the main gate of the palace and to one of the grassy training fields where she had flopped into the lush grass and soaked in the sun.

There was something so calming about that day. Then that damn hunter Nin went and ruined if for her. He had dropped from the trees beside her. She jumped with the sounds and vibrations of his foot falls. She stared at the raven masked man. A swirl like tattoo on his shoulder. His black onyx hair seemed to defy gravity sticking out atop the mask. Midoriko gazed at the man and could almost feel something that she needed to feel. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but by the time she stood up, her stalwart, and somewhat late, body guard had arrived and chased the raven masked man away.

She had many nightmares that night. There were lots of birds in her dreams. Soft motherly voice that told her to wake up from the nightmare along with the roaring of a wounded animal. Though the beast that was in her dreams sounded fierce at times, she could come close to seeing its great shape in her dream and almost touch its snout. There was a mournful howl that echoed through her mind. The woman shook away the memories of the great beast. It only tore at her heart to know there was an animal in pain.

Midoriko was still sneaking towards the kitchen of the palace, when a cold male voice sounded behind her. "You should not be out of bed, my dear girl."

Midoriko jumped and turned to face the Mizukage. She immediately bowed. "I am sorry my lord, but the little one was hungry and I did not wish to wake Kisame-san."

The man in the orange mask gazed over her. "You had another nightmare."

The woman bowed a little lower. "Yes my Lord."

He placed a hand under her chin to raise her eyes to his. She couldn't see the one exposed eye. But she stared at him with her eyes lowered. There was something that told her he was disappointed in her, but not angry. "My dear girl," he chuckled, "it is natural to have such dreams when one is so close to birth."

Midoriko put her hand on his. "It was not that kind of nightmare, my Lord. It was... about that boy again. Why does he haunt my dreams so?" Tears threatened to fall from her face.

The Mizukage whipped her tears away from her cheek. "Don't worry about the boy, my dear Midoriko. You have other things you should worry about." He placed his hand on her stomach and the baby seemed to become agitated and shrink away from his touch. The man behind the mask scowled. The baby knew danger even before it was born.

Midoriko let out a hard breath and braced herself on the man in front of her. "He is most hungry my Lord. I think I should make haste to the kitchens before he kicks his way out." She smiled.

"I will go wake Kisame to attend to you." The Mizukage stepped back away from Midoriko.

"Allow him his rest My Lord. I will be fine. I DO know my way around the palace, and I DO know how to cook my own meals. I am pregnant, my Lord, not dead."

This brought a grin to the man behind the mask. Though her memories of who she was were sealed away, her cheeky stubbornness seemed to have prevailed. "As you wish my dear Midoriko. I will allow your freedom tonight. But I expect you to wake Kisame in the future when you feel the need for a late night stroll through the palace."

"Yes my Lord." She bowed.

The Mizukage stepped back into the shadow from where he came. Midoriko put a hand on her belly. "Why must you squirm like that when he is near? He has been nothing but kind to us. But I understand how you feel, Little One, he scares me too."

0 - 0 - 0

Midoriko brought back a small bento box for the now awake and annoyed Kisame. He stood at the doors of her chamber glowering down at her. This wasn't the first time he had slept through her late night expeditions to the kitchens, but it was the first time he had gotten caught by the Mizukage. Midoriko smiled up at the tall man at her door. "I am sorry Kisame-san." She handed him the bento she had made for him in apology.

"The agreement was not to get caught and I would stay out from under your feet." He continued to glare at her and snatched the bento box from her.

"I said I was sorry. I was doing fine until... Well since you are awake, you already know who caught me." Midoriko shrugged. "I couldn't help it. Little One was hungry and I was going to die if I didn't have ramen. I have yet to figure out why its ramen that I crave so. I don't even like ramen."

Kisame opened the bento box. "Pregnant women crave odd things. I remember my mother telling me that she craved shark fin soup all the time."

Midoriko looked at Kisame with a worried expression. "My little one is going to be a noodle."

Kisame had to chuckle. He knew the father of her baby. If anything, the child growing in her belly craved ramen like his father. "I doubt your child will be a noodle."

Midoriko took a deep breath in relief. She put a hand on his arm. "You are right, of course. He is too big to be a noodle."

"So," the tall fish man took a bite of the sashimi she had brought for him, "how much longer do I have to endure your late night walks?"

"The healer woman the Lord Mizukage brought for me said it was only a few weeks at most or any second at worst." She padded her stomach. "I will be glad to meet my Little One." Midoriko opened the door to her room. "I hope he was not angry with you." She smiled sadly.

Kisame chewed through some rice to answer her. "Don't worry about me Lady Midoriko. He's been angrier at me before and I survived that tirade. I am sure I can survive his anger this time."

"Thank you Kisame-san." She stepped into her room. "Good night."


	70. The Nightmare Continues

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings:I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 70: The Nightmare Continues

Nine months ago, Myra had been brought up on charges of a murder she didn't commit. Nine months ago Myra had been sentenced to death. As a compromise she had agreed to give up all her knowledge, memories and abilities as a shinobi and Death Dealer to live a normal life. Her knowledge of everyone had been placed behind a powerful seal unbreakable by even the great Uchiha clan. The seal had been placed on her by Naruto and the Kyuubi to protect her from Madara. But it had broken Naruto's heart to do it.

After her memories were sealed, she had looked up at him with a blank stare. She looked so empty. Naruto walked out of the room, went to his apartment, and cried. He couldn't save her from her fate. It was a fate worse than death, as far as he was concerned. Naruto was forbidden to see her after the seal was placed, just incase her feelings for him could break the seal. Her father did manage to sneak the nine tailed fox plushy toy he had won for her on the day she was arrested.

Naruto watched from the shadows of his apartment when they got into the moving truck. Rai handed Myra the plush toy. She stared at it for a few moments as if trying to remember something about it. Myra looked up at his window. Naruto ducked further behind the wall so not to be seen. When he came out from behind the wall and gazed down at the street, the truck was gone.

Naruto had gone to the top of the Hokage monument that night to forget the woman he loved. He wanted to forget that she had made the sacrifice of her memories and knowledge because her DNA was more precious than her life. The council had agreed with the Ravenheart girl when she made her plea for life. The Uchiha clan was a valuable asset to the village of Konoha. And though the blood line was strong with in Sasuke, her blood was just as valuable. Killing her would cause the Uchiha line to completely die with no hope of survival, even if they did order Sasuke to take on more than one wife, with out proper variance in the blood line it would die.

With her life, her children could prove valuable to the village. She would honor the traditions set down by her great grandmother. She would allow her children to be sent to Konoha to be trained. But she would have no knowledge of where they were going. Myra would simply be sending them off to boarding school as far as she knew. The seal on her memories and knowledge were complex and almost absolute. There was one way of releasing the seal and the only person that could do it, was pacing the Hokage's office waiting for news.

Eight months ago Myra was thought to be dead. An accident that killed everyone, but her father, had been the cause of her death. Rai had been badly injured in the crash and didn't recover for several weeks. The body of the driver and what was thought to be Myra where found chard beyond recognition. Naruto had almost spiraled out of control, but Sasuke had been there to pick him back up. It was the Uchiha that told him there was something off about the accident. It was too clean. And somehow Sasuke said they would both know if she were dead.

Two months ago a rumor, just a rumor mind you that a woman was being kept by the Mizukage, now known to be Madara Uchiha. That piece of information came at a hefty price. Lord Hiashi Hyuuga, thought to be one of Konoha's most trusted shinobi had tried to take over the village. He hadn't tried to challenge the Hokage directly, but he had tried to take over the council, thus taking control of the village. His plot was discovered by his eldest daughter Hinata. And she brought the giant down.

Hinata was now the head of the great Hyuuga clan, and it was she that placed the cursed mark on her own father's brow. The meek, loving and caring Hinata nearly killed her own father forcing the information out of him. For a time, the village was in a state of deep despair. Hiashi had confessed to working with Madara to get Myra out of the village. It was Madara that had killed Wakanashi and framed Myra for the murder. And the last bit of information shocked the entire assembly of the council. Madara was more than just alive; he was the Mizukage of Kirigakure.

Naruto paced the Hokage's office waiting for any news to come in. The special ANBU was late, days late even and the waiting was beginning to make Naruto more and more agitated by the hour. It would take a few weeks to find the village hidden in the Mist. It would take a few weeks more for him to find his way in. Once the rumor was confirmed or completely rebuked, he was to return and report. If after six weeks he found nothing Sasuke was supposed to return. Those six weeks were up over two weeks ago.

Tsunade entered her office with a scowl. "Don't you ever go home? You are wearing a path in my floor."

"Where the HELL is he? He should be back by now or at least sent word, or something, right? I want to go after him." Naruto continued to pace.

"If I let you go, you won't go looking for Sasuke, you will take on the entire Village of the Bloody Mist to find her. Although I have no doubts you could actually do it, I don't need other Kage's thinking they need to strike first in order to prevent Konoha unleashing our one man army on them. The only village I wouldn't have to worry about is Suna. I am sure that if you contacted Gaara, he would help you take on the Mist, but he is busy at the moment. He sends his greetings by the way, as does Persephone who told me to tell you to "kick ass" when you find her." Tsunade sat behind her desk.

"I can't just sit here and do nothing. Myra is alive…" He stopped pacing and bowed his head. "I know she is."

A very out of breath Shizune burst through the Hokage's door. "LADY TSUNADE! Saskue's been found. He's alive, but badly wounded. He's at the hospital now, Sakura is with him now."

Tsunade didn't have to see Naruto jump out the window the minute he heard Sasuke had been found to know that's what he had done. "Impatient brat" the blonde Hokage grumbled. "What is Sakura doing at the hospital? I thought I had ordered her to stay away from the hospital for the next few months."

"I'm sorry Lady Tsunade, but no one, including Sasuke, was going to argue with her about being there." Shizune stifled the laugh.

"In this case, I wouldn't argue with her either. But we had better hurry before she stresses her self out too much." Tsunade smiled.

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto had gone from pacing in the Hokage's office to pacing outside of Sasuke's hospital room. A very annoyed Sakura sat in a chair out side of her husband's hospital room after she had been kicked out by a very persistent Tsunade. Lately, the only person Sakura would listen to was Tsunade and even Tsunade seemed to cower before the shorter pink haired mother to be. Everyone knew it was the increased level of hormones present in Sakura's blood stream that made her more temperamental than usual, but only Naruto continued tease her by saying it was the Uchiha arrogance that was trying to take over. Naruto stopped teasing Sakura the day she punched him through the wall of his apartment.

"Could you please stop pacing? You're making me dizzy." Sakura sipped on some calming tea forced on her by Tsunade.

"I need to know Sakura-chan. I need to know that Myra is alive." Naruto stopped pacing and sat next to his pregnant ex-team mate.

Sakura padded his arm to comfort him. "You know she's alive. Both of you have kept that line of thinking since we found Rai-sama and the crash. I'm sure that Sasuke wouldn't have drug himself back in that condition if she were dead."

Naruto eyed Sakura. "You sell your self short… Mrs. Uchiha."

Sakura smiled sadly. "I would like to think that, but in the last few months and his never ending search for her, I have begun to doubt how much he loves me."

"Sakura, how can you say that?" Naruto looked shocked. "Teme loves you, are you kidding me? Are your hormones out of whack again?" He put the back of his hand against her forehead. "Because you can't truly believe that."

The hospital door slid open and Tsunade came out. "Sakura, he's asking for you."

Sakura nodded to Tsunade and handed her tea to Naruto. "I'm sure he'll want to see you in a minute."

Sakura walked past Tsunade in to Sasuke's room. She glanced back at Naruto, flashing him that same sad smile; then continued in the room. Tsunade sighed and shook her head. "Don't worry, it's the hormones."

"I take it he heard her." Naruto smirked.

"Yes and they need to work that part out on their own. In the meantime, go home and get some sleep. We have a rescue mission to plan and not a lot of time to plan it in." Tsunade pulled a map from behind her back.

"If there isn't a lot of time…" Naruto stood up.

Tsunade put her hands up. "It's late Naruto. I know you would like to tear out of here and get her now that you know she's alive, but this has to be a delicate snatch and grab operation. According to Sasuke, the Memory Seal is still holding. Myra has no memory of who she is. Myra is safe for now. Madara isn't going to hurt her right now. He may be a sick bastard, but I don't think he's that sick."

"What do you mean, she's **safe? She hasn't been safe for eight months! He has MY RABBIT and I want her BACK."** The blonde man growled.

Tsunade took a step back. It had been months since Naruto had manifested aspects of the Kyuubi. "Calm down, please Naruto." Tsunade couldn't tell Naruto now. If she told Naruto about Myra's pregnancy, nothing would keep him in the village.

Naruto put a hard fist in the wall of the hospital. The two foot crater in the wall didn't help calm Tsunade's apprehension. The Hokage wasn't afraid of him, but her scent did spike a little when he started to get angry. Naruto took a deep breath and calmed. "**I will be in your office first thing in the morning. I would have Shikamaru go over that map and find a quiet way in. If he can't find a quiet way in to the village by tomorrow afternoon,"** Naruto looked at Tsunade through red slitted eyes. "**I will not be quiet about getting her out of there."**

Tsunade watched the blonde storm out of the hospital. Shizune walked up next to her mentor. "That went well."

"Hn." Tsunade mimicked Sasuke's classic answer to everything. "It could have gone worse."


	71. In the Garden of Secrets and Plots

**A/N:** I would like to thank my peeps (Waves to Tansy and Woofie). With out them I would have been STUCK… and in danger of a very long long long long long wait for the next chapters… They managed to Un-Stick me… I would also give a shout out to the new people that have put me on the favorite/story alerts… You don't know how much I appreciate it… I would like to welcome you to the insanity that is MY imagination… If you are actually here after 70 chapters, I would like to give you all a medal… That's if I had one to give out…

In the meantime, I am not a review whore… I am not going to beg or hold the next chapter over all of you (Next chapter is finished BTW) if I don't get "X" number of reviews. That's just silly and childish. But I am curious to the thoughts of those that do read the story. Nothing more or less then that. So be kind and drop a line…

Now on with the show!

Normal

"Speech"

**Jinchuriki Speech**

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 71: In the Garden of Secrets and Plots

As much as Midoriko loved her private garden in the moonlight, she loved it just as much in the sun. She sat on the swing under the falling leaves of the maple tree staring out on the garden. The last few days had been rather uncomfortable. The healer woman had been summoned in the dead of night when Midoriko had woken Kisame screaming in pain. "It is almost time." The healer woman told the Mizukage. "The Lady Midoriko will give birth any day now. The baby has turned and dropped. We have but to wait." The old woman bowed.

"Good. Have the proper equipment brought to her chamber and Kisame, do not leave her side. I want to know the moment she goes in to labor." Madara instructed.

"What do you plan to do?" Kisame asked.

"I do not yet know what I will do. It depends on many things. The child is a perfect specimen. It has the Uchiha blood I need to survive and it has the blood of the nine tail boy running in its veins. I couldn't have planned it better my self. This child is very precious to me, Kisame. I will have him one way or another. Should my dear Midoriko survive the birth, I will be able to make many more to suit my needs and have a mother to raise my children. If she does not, because demon births are very difficult, I will still have a son that will be my new body in time, I will be able to take back my title as the greatest Uchiha ever, and most of all, I will be able to rule the world as I was intended." The Mizukage walked to the shadows. "Do not disappoint me Kisame." And Madara vanished.

Kisame stared at the shadows where the Mizukage had vanished. Madara didn't care about Midoriko in the least. Kisame fought the conscience he had been developing over the last few months. He was a cold blooded killer not a protector of a pregnant woman. But something about Midoriko's kindness towards him had changed all that. She was never scared of his appearance. She always thanked him for being there for her. Even the day she snuck out of the palace and was seen by Sasuke, she had hugged him and thanked him for keeping her safe. Midoriko had never snuck out of the palace after that. She had told Kisame that it wasn't because she was afraid of being hurt by someone else, but she didn't want to ever see Kisame punished again.

Indeed Madara was furious with Kisame for letting the girl out of the palace. Kisame had received a beating, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. The palace guards at the entrance didn't have it so lucky. Madara had them executed as well as the ninja sentry that had missed Sasuke's entrance into the village. Midoriko was never told of the executions, but somehow she knew this was the consequences for her escape. She took care of Kisame's wounds and was particularly cooperative for the week it took for him to heal.

Kisame walked back up the small hill where Midoriko was sitting on the swing. She looked peaceful, yet lost. She was staring off at the sky like she was waiting for something. "Lady Midoriko, do you like it here?"

Midoriko turned a sad smile towards her constant companion. "Promise you won't say anything to the Mizukage?"

"I wouldn't tell him if you were on fire." He jested.

"I do like it here, but I don't belong here. There is something that has been nagging at me since the moment I woke up. Something that told me this is all wrong. I am grateful to the Mizukage for allowing me to stay and protecting me." Midoriko looked away from Kisame. "But I can't help but feel like the missing part of my memory is out there waiting for me to find it. I have stayed because… because I have seen what happens when I try to leave. My Lord is very adamant about my presence in the palace, and I do not want anyone else harmed because of my desires to leave." A single tear slipped down her cheek.

Kisame gazed at his feet. The Mizukage…No… Madara was going to kill her eventually. She was a toy, a plaything, a breeding sow to Madara. Midoriko winched in pain letting out a short gasp. Kisame rushed to her side. "Are you ok?" He put a hand on her stomach and felt the baby kick.

Midoriko lifted her chocolate eyes to Kisame. "He's not squirming."

Kisame realized he had touched her. He had seen how when Madara would touch Midoriko and she would wince. The healer woman would touch Midoriko and she would shy away. But he had his hand on her stomach and she was not trying to flinch away. "I'm not a threat… At least not anymore." Kisame confessed.

Midoriko blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"No time to explain. I have to get you out of here." Kisame helped her stand. He had not moved his hand from her belly. "Do you think Little One can wait if I tell you we are going to get you out of here?"

There was a look of pure panic on Midoriko's face. But the kick to Kisame's hand told him all he needed to know. Midoriko calmed. "I guess that would be a yes."

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto stood in the Hokage's office next to Shikamaru and Sasuke. Tsunade sat behind her desk keep her calm as best as possible. It didn't help that Naruto looked like he was ready to bolt when given the word go. "Shikamaru, are you sure there isn't another way in?"

"I have gone over everything I was given as well as some other material I found in the library. The Water Country is a cluster of islands. The village hidden in the Mist is a day's travel from the coast on the largest island. As proven by Sasuke, getting in the village is the easy part. Getting into the Mizukage's palace is a completely different issue. The Mizukage's palace is an island on an island. There is one way in and one way out. The palace is almost impenetrable."

"You said almost impenetrable, define almost impenetrable." Sasuke crossed his arms.

"I believe the island itself is an extinct volcano. The Mizukage's palace is in the center of a large crater lake. If it was built on an extinct volcano, then there is a slight possibility that there are caves under the palace. Even our own Hokage tower has escape tunnels and secret passages to safety. It wouldn't surprise me that the Mizukage palace has the same type of secret passages and tunnels leading out of the village." Shikamaru nodded.

"Then that's how we get in. We go through those passages." Sasuke agreed.

Naruto stood by the door. "**When can I leave?"**

"You aren't going alone Naruto. You are going to need all the help you can get." The Hokage stood up.

"**I don't need any help. I can get her out on my own. Besides, anyone I would want to go with me isn't going.**" Naruto turned his red eyes to Sasuke.

"Hn. I'm not going to stay here and let you hog all the glory." Sasuke grumbled.

"**This isn't up for negotiation Teme… You are staying with Sakura if I have to break every bone in your body to make sure you stay."** Naruto growled at Sasuke dangerously.

"And what happens if you go ape shit? Huh? What then? Do you think you can stay under control of that temper you've developed over the last few months?" Sasuke smirked.

"**I wouldn't be worried about MY temper. I would be more worried about your wife's when she finds out you are running off because of Myra again. You stay with Sakura. Myra is mine to rescue."**

The pink haired woman in question pushed the door open. "He needs to go with you." Her eyes were cast to the floor.

Sasuke rushed over to Sakura and lifted her eyes to meet his. "Sakura, I won't go if you tell me not to."

Sakura gazed deeply into his onyx eyes. "I would be lying if I said I was ok with you going. But Myra is important to the both of you. I had to accept that a long time ago. What I'm feeling right now is very confusing and part of being pregnant." Tears started to fall down her face.

Sasuke brushed the tears off of her cheeks. "Which is why I will stay if you tell me you don't want me to go?"

Sakura put her hand on Sasuke's cheek and turned to Naruto. "I know this mission is going to be dangerous and you will have enough on your hands to worry about. But you will bring everyone back safely, won't you?" Her teary green eyes bore into Naruto.

Red anger faded to crystal blue calm. Naruto smiled at her. It was the first genuine smile anyone had seen on him in months. "I will baby sit daddy and make sure nothing happens to him."

Sakura hugged the blonde titan. "Good, because if you don't… You will have to deal with my temper."

Naruto pushed Sakura back over to Sasuke. "Alright Sakura, I'll keep him from doing something stupid."

Sasuke put an arm around Sakura's waist. "Hn. Look who's talking dobe…"

Sakura snuggled into Sasuke's side. "And you," she poked Sasuke in the side, "keep him from doing something stupid." She thumbed to Naruto.

"What do I look like? A miracle worker?" Sasuke eyed his wife.

Everyone snickered, except Naruto who rolled his eyes. "Can we go NOW?"

Sasuke and Tsunade looked at each other. Tsunade stood up. "You are going to need a combat medic, one that can handle the stresses of battle and one that I would trust to keep you two from getting killed."

"Sakura isn't going anywhere!" Saskue and Naruto protested. Sasuke pulled Sakura closer to him. Sakura gazed up at her Uchiha protector and smiled.

Shikamaru shook his head. "You two think Sakura is the only combat medic in the village." He had figured out what Tsunade was doing. "How troublesome…"

"Thank you Shikamaru." Tsunade smiled at him. The Hokage smirked at Naruto and Sasuke. "I am going to claim Hokage's privilage. I will be going with you as your combat medic. Besides," Tsunade glanced over to Sasuke. They had agreed not to tell Naruto of Myra's current condition. If something was to happen and Myra was to go into labor Tsunade wanted to be there to greet her grandbaby… No, granddaughter… It was going to be a girl the old woman could feel it. "I need a good stretch of the legs."

Naruto threw up his hands. "GREAT! NOW CAN WE GO?"

Tsunade noticed the sad look on Sakura's face. "Despite Naruto's impatience, we will leave in the morning." Naruto was about to protest when Tsunade nodded towards Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto grumbled, but accepted he had to wait one more day to get going. He stormed out of the office and headed for the Hokage monument. Lately he didn't like the enclosed space of his apartment. He didn't like the feeling of being closed in. Naruto sighed while he dangled his feet over the side of the Yondiame's head.

"She's alive." He whispered.

"_**I know Kit and I am ready to go get her back."**_

"So am I."

"_**We don't have to wait. We could go on our own."**_

"Do you really want to listen to oba-chan screaming at us for being stupid?"

"_**I can handle the screaming… I don't want to get hit."**_

Naruto snickered. "Ok you got me there… I wouldn't want to get hit either."

The tall red haired man sat next to Naruto. "_**You do realize this means you have to let me back in."**_

Naruto turned to look up at the Kyuubi. "I thought you had come back earlier this afternoon? I mean I got all pissed off and stuff. I sounded like you, my eyes even changed."

"_**Remember, I'm never really gone, I'm just not all there either. You still have access to the chakra I leave behind, just not as much of it while I'm cloning around."**_ Kyuubi chuckled.

"What if I don't want you back?" Naruto looked out over the village.

Kyuubi sighed. "_**Today was the first time in eighteen years I got to feel the sun on my skin. Our training at night has been fun, but I prefer the warmth of the sun. I would have liked to have taken a nice run through the fields and played in the grass, but a giant kitsune frolicking in the grass would have made a few people a bit nervous."**_

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Frolicking? I can't see you… frolicking."

"_**What else would you call it? I want to run, jump and play."**_ Kyuubi flashed a toothy grin. "_**I am an animal after all. But that isn't the point I was trying to make. We came up with this idea of me possessing a clone as a way to give us both some time alone. It worked a lot better than I would have hoped. However, I don't want to be trapped in that cage anymore than you want me stuck in it. Until we come up with a more permanent solution to the problem, it is the reality of the situation. I will admit I can do more as flesh then I can, sitting in the back or your mind."**_

"Can I change the cage?"

"_**The cage was a symbol of my incarceration your mind created, so theoretically, yes you could change it. Visualize the cage slightly larger, give me a window and fix the damn drippy pipes. I will make due with that."**_ Kyuubi crossed his arms.

"I think I can do that." Naruto closed his eyes and thought of the cage deep in the sewers of his mind. The first thing he did was move the cage out of the sewer. The blonde thought hard about what would make him happy. A nice little house appeared in a field of green grass surrounded by trees. Naruto slapped the seal on a tree and a thick barrier went up around the area. There was enough room for the giant kitsune to run, jump and play to his hearts content.

There was a loud pop and the man disappeared from sight. The blonde staggered and doubled over. "_Great Kami, what did you eat?"_

The giant nine tailed fox sat outside the tiny house. "_**You do realize I can't fit in the house, but otherwise, you did well Kit."**_

The house changed into a large cluster of rocks and became a den large enough for Kyuubi to fit inside. "_Now what did you eat?"_

Kyuubi went into the den, turned around and came out again, lying down crossing his giant paws in front of him. "_**I might have had a few bowls of ramen, a couple of Origiri, a few more bowls of ramen, and some barbeque everything. I hadn't eaten in eighteen years, I was a bit hungry."**_


	72. Plans to Move

A/N: Thanks to everyone! Because I know you're reading and you like the story… I know you do cause my stats are GINORMUS! So I will take that as a sign that people like the story. Meanwhile… Thanks to Wandering Maverick (again) for the help.

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

**Chapter 72: Plans to Move**

"My Lord! You gave me the task of keeping Lady Midoriko safe. This new intelligence from Konoha proves that the Leaf ANBU returned to Konoha. Alive or not, he returned and reported that Lady Midoriko was here. They will mount a rescue operation to attempt to retrieve her." Kisame kept his gaze at the Madara.

"This island we call home is the safest place she could be. What makes you think we can't remove the threat before it gets here?" The Mizukage paced around Kisame.

"I am only thinking of her safety and yours. The Nine Tail brat will be on that mission to retrieve Lady Midoriko. I saw the fight with Pein. It wasn't pretty and the boy came out of that fight without a scratch. Even our best shinobi have no chance of stopping him. He will get into the palace and he will retrieve her. I am suggesting we move Midoriko to Sound. Lord Kabuto would be more than capable in assisting with the birth, and they would never think to look there. In the meantime, we set a trap for the Nine Tail boy here in Mist." Kisame waited for the answer he was hoping for. Madara had become paranoid in his old age and Kisame was playing to that paranoia.

Madara smirked under the orange mask. "You may have a point Kisame. None of the medics in Mist are equipped or experienced in the potential difficulties of a demon spawn birth. Kabuto may not have been my first choice to play nurse maid to my dear Midoriko, but I'm sure he will have to do. Make the arrangements to leave as quickly as possible. I will deal with the Nine Tail Jinchuriki when he arrives." Madara let out an evil chuckle. "I never thought that my first gift to Midoriko and MY son would be a new pet."

"Yes, Lord Mizukage." Kisame bowed out of the throne room and headed straight for Midoriko's chamber. Before he entered the chamber, he glanced outside the window into the garden. Two large black ravens were sitting on one of the many pagodas in the garden. The larger of the birds turned and glared at him. It was an errie glare. Kisame had seen many birds in his time, but this bird had an air of intelligence and understanding.

Kisame stood watching as Midoriko, in a flowing red kimono approached the birds with a hand full of bread. It was then he recognized the birds. He was going to use the birds. They would be able to get a message to the right people. Kisame walked through the doors and stood behind Midoriko, seemingly unaware of the importance of the two large ravens she was feeding.

"Aren't they beautiful?" She asked as the smaller of the ravens pecked bread out of her hand.

Kisame shrugged. "They're birds. We have to get ready as quickly as possible. We are going on a trip. There is a special doctor in Sound that is going to take care of you during the birth of your Little One."

Midoriko turned in panic to Kisame. "But I thought…"

He shook his head to signal that someone may be listening. And it was true that someone was listening. "We are going to the Sound village where you can be safe. The Mizukage is staying here to deal with a possible invasion, which is why you are being moved." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two birds turn to each other. "We are to leave as soon as you are ready."

Midoriko nodded sadly. "I will be ready in about an hour."

"We are going to take a boat to the north of the Fire Country and then travel through the unclaimed countryside between the Fire Country and the Lightening Country. It's very cold right now so please pack warmly." Kisame added.

Midoriko allowed the smaller bird to finish. "I will." She turned and went in to her chamber to begin packing. Kisame started to follow her.

Kisame stopped a few feet away from the birds and spoke aloud. "If they come here, it's a trap." He waited until he heard the flutter of wings before he continued into Midoriko's room. She was hurriedly putting together clothes she thought she would need. Kisame stopped her. "Keep it simple and warm." Midoriko nodded and was silent while she packed.

0 – 0 – 0

Two very tired and hungry ravens perched in the tree near the Tazuna's house, where the rescue team was staying. Tsunade, being the old lady she was, had originally insisted they stay in a hotel rather than camp out. Naruto, being the anxious brat he was, wanted to keep going. Sasuke didn't care one way or the other, but since Tsunade offered to pay for the hotel, had taken the side of the Hokage.

They were in the Wave Country and had chartered a boat to take them to the Water Country at first light. At first they had difficulty with finding a boat master that would take a group of ninja to the Water Country, but after Naruto's quick chat with Tazuna, they had a boat and a place to stay. Tazuna would not hear of Naruto and friends staying anywhere else. The Leaf ninja were greeted by a smiling Tsuname when they arrived at Tazuna's house. There was much chit chat about the comings and goings of the now developing Wave Country. Iniari was off in college to become a businessman and run the bridge building firm Tazuna had started.

It was late and Tsunade was awake in her room. A bottle of sake and the map Shikamaru had given them lay out on the floor. She was studying the map intently when she heard the tapping on her window.

Kunai in her hand she went to open the window. The large raven hopped inside and perched on the map. "So NOW you want to help?" Tsunade scoffed.

"_Don't get snippy with me Hime, Myra is in danger. While being held captive by the Old One, she was in no danger, now that she is in danger I am obligated to see to it that she is out of danger."_ Edgar scratched at the map.

"Why come to me, why not go to Naruto?" Tsunade sat on the floor next to the map.

Poe fluttered in the window, landing on the Hokage's shoulder. "_It was wise not to tell the Fox Boy about his child to be. He is agitated enough as it is. If Naruto were to know of his son, it would be difficult to keep him under control and calm. Though the Kyuubi has agreed to never try to take control of Naruto again, when they are of single thought and action, there is no difference between them. They would both agree to protect Myra at all costs. Nothing besides death would keep Naruto from finding her."_

"I see. Why is Myra in danger?" Tsunade looked at the map.

"_The Old One is having her moved from Mist to Sound."_ Edgar said bluntly. "_He is also setting a trap for Naruto in Mist. Madara believes he has the girl and her child. He wants his pet."_

"Why Sound?" Tsunade frowned.

Sasuke appeared at the door. "Kabuto."

"I knew that the Mizukage had an alliance with Sound, but what would Kabuto have to offer that Madara wants?" Tsunade gazed at Sasuke.

"Kabuto is a trained medic ninja, and despite the fact that he's crazier than a loon, he's well versed in strange medicine. If I couldn't have the great Tsunade or Sakura treating my wounds, and Kabuto was on my side, I would want Kabuto patching me up." Sasuke gave Tsunade a sideways smile. "If Madara sent word that Kabuto would have first look at Naruto's offspring, Kabuto may have welcomed Myra with open arms."

"_They will be traveling at break neck speeds. Her companion gave us the route they will be taking. They left Mist by boat earlier this afternoon. They should be making port tomorrow morning."_ Edgar hopped over the part of the map where they would make port. "_From here, they will take the road to the north of the Fire Country. However there is a catch, if we ambush before Sound sends word that the Lady Midoriko has arrived, it may tip off Madara that something is wrong. If we ambush afterwards, it may be too late. Myra is very close to giving birth. The little one is going to wait as long as he can, but he says it is difficult and he is loosing strength. We have a few days at most."_

"It's a boy?" Tsunade looked upset.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "He can talk already?"

"_The spirit can speak for now. The moment he is born, he will be nothing more than a babe in arms. It is a sign the boy will have great potential. Minato favor's his father's side of abilities so far and a few from the Kitsune, but for the most part, he will be a true blending of both mother and father."_ Edgar beamed.

Tsunade had a shocked expression. "Minato?"

"_A honoring of Myra's departed brother and Naruto's father."_ Poe cooed.

Sasuke went stock still. He knew that Myra's brother was named after the Yondiame. But now so many things about Naruto made sense. Sasuke had always thought that the Yondiame couldn't have picked a random orphan out of the pool of children born that day to seal the fox into. It wouldn't hold up to the Yondiame's character. The Yondiame chose his own son for the task of keeping the village safe from the nine tailed fox. The only person the Yondiame could have trusted with the job. "So it is true? I had always thought it was, but something had always kept me from seeing it."

Tsunade sighed. "You don't know anything Sasuke. We need Naruto rational. Hitting him with Myra's pregnancy will be enough to send him over the edge. A double knockout punch will be too much for him to handle. He was supposed to find out on his eighteenth birthday, but that came and went. With Myra gone and him still grieving I didn't want to make it any worse. I was about to give him his inheritance when Hiashi was discovered. It all got a bit complicated from there. So for the time being, I am planning it as a birthday present for his son."

The door squeaked open and Naruto stood in the door way fuming. His hair was wild and his eyes blazed red. "**My son?"**

Tsunade gazed up at Naruto in shock. "It isn't nice to eves drop." She snapped.

"**It isn't nice to keep secrets. WHAT is going on?"** Naruto kept his stare directed at Tsunade.

Sasuke hadn't wanted to keep the information from his friend, but thought it was best for all involved if Naruto didn't know. "Myra is pregnant with your son."

Naruto spun around to face Sasuke. "**And you thought you wouldn't mention it until when? When we got there? HOW LONG were you planning on leaving me out of the loop?"** Red feral eyes bore into the young Uchiha.

Sasuke had to take notice of the blonde. Naruto had never really given Sasuke a reason to be cautious or even scared. But this reaction from Naruto gave Sasuke that reason. "Until it was necessary for you to know."

"**I THINK IT WAS NECESSARY FOR ME TO KNOW THE MINUTE YOU GOT BACK!"** Naruto practically roared.

"Naruto, please… calm down." Tsunade tried to scold him like a mother would.

Naruto turned back to Tsuande with a snarl. "**Calm?"** Naruto chuckled much like the Fox. "**I will be calm when MY FAMILY is safe."** Naruto clenched his fists and started to tremble with the anger and rage he was feeling.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "We didn't tell you because we needed to actually have a plan that was a little more sophisticated than "let Naruto loose". AND we needed you thinking with a clear head."

"**I am not going to risk Myra getting hurt!" **

"Are you so sure about that? Look at yourself, you're ready to tear out of here and take on the world alone. It doesn't work like that. And don't go pulling the "MY FAMILY" bullshit on me. Myra is MY family too so you aren't the only one worried." The two glared at each other dangerously.

"NARUTO! SASUKE!" Tsunade bellowed. "This is not the time to argue about this."

Naruto let out a long and strong breath, as his demeanor calmed realizing that as much as he wanted to rage out of control, HIS Rabbit...and now HIS kit were in danger. His fists stopped shaking, and his body slowed it's trembling. He opened is eyes slowly, and while still their bloody crimson, the wild fire once blazing in them seemed to now be focused on one thing. "**We WILL talk about this further. But for now...The danger MY," **Naruto growled out through gritted teeth as a challenge to Sasuke to say anything else, "**FAMILY is in takes precedence." **he said, his voice never losing it's menacing tone. "**Make your plans Hokage, Uchiha..."** Naruto shot them each a nasty glare. **"I'm leaving in the morning with or without you, plan or not, I WILL bring her back." **He concluded, as the door closed in finality of his foreshadowing statement.

It took a few moments for Sasuke to compose himself. He shook his head. "Was he this bad when he was trying to get me to come back?"

Tsunade blinked, trying to get the color to return to her face. "No, he never scared me when he wanted to go after you. And even when I did have information on your whereabouts, or he heard a rumor that I knew to be true, he didn't make me feel like the evil bitch for keeping the information from him."

The female raven still perched on Tsunade's shoulder shook her head. _"I warned you Hime, boy and fox are closer then they have ever been. Naruto wasn't just calming his own anger... He was calming the Kyuubi's as well."_

Sasuke raised a thin eyebrow. "So we got off lucky?"

Edgar ruffled his feathers. _"I am surprised the two of you are still alive."_


	73. Arrivals

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 73: Arrivals

Midoriko was feeling very week by the time they stepped off the boat. She had been sick from the moment the boat started moving till the moment it landed. There were only a few people traveling with her. Kisame, her constant companion and body guard, a nurse maid, just in case they didn't make it to Sound, and three other Mist ninja Kisame picked for the trip. He had picked them for a reason. None of them had any skill what so ever in taijutsu. The three of them were heavy hitters, but against a master of taijutsu, they would be helpless.

Kisame knew that Naruto would be coming for Midoriko; however, he suspected Sasuke would tag along just because she was family. If Sasuke was anything like Itachi, family was the most important thing in the world and Kisame let a small smirk grace his shark like lips with the memory of his friend and ex-teammate. Maybe it was Itachi's influence that was causing him to betray Madara, or maybe it was just something he ate. Kisame didn't dwell on it too much. What he was doing was the right thing and it was a good deed that maybe could wash away the sins of blindly following Madara.

Midoriko stepped off the boat and breathed in the salty ocean air. There was something on the wind that seemed so familiar. She paid no attention to the fussing nurse, or the extra guards. Midoriko kept her head up high and a pleasant smile on her face to hide the pain she was in. The pain was getting worse and the contractions, though close, had not gotten any closer together. She didn't bother to walk any less awkwardly. Midoriko felt like a small barge walking anywhere, but she got were she needed to be. She was miserable to say the least.

Midoriko stopped at the edge of the ramp and stepped to the side as instructed by Kisame. She glanced behind her to the side of the dock, near several large crates. There was something there, scurrying around making a rather large racket. Regardless of the fussing nurse maid, Kisame shouting orders at the ship's stewards, or the three extra annoyances charged with keeping an eye on her, Midoriko slipped away to investigate the scurrying near the crates. As she got closer she could hear the growling of an animal. Midoriko turned the corner and sat on one of the crates with a pant. The small fox jumped up on the crate next to her. It studied her and she studied it.

No one has really noticed that Midoriko was missing from the spot Kisame had told her to stay. It wasn't until the nurse maid had come back from the getting the last of her supplies on the boat that the old woman tugged on Kisame's coat. "We seem to have lost her again."

Kisame grimaced in annoyance and started to look for Midoriko. She couldn't have gone that far. He turned to the direction of the crates and shook his head. "I truly wish she would stop that." he grumbled aloud and walked to the crates. He turned the corner to see Midoriko sitting on the crate as calm as calm could be with the small fox in her lap, scratching it behind the ears.

Midoriko immediately looked up at Kisame. "Isn't he adorable?" She said with a bright smile.

Kisame took one look at the small orange and black fox and failed miserably at keeping the color in his face. The normally dark blue shade of his skin became a nice light blue as the shark man could feel the maniacal chakra emanating from the small creature in her lap. The fox took notice of Kisame and jumped off Midoriko's lap, skittering away with the nastiest grin on its maw.

Midoriko stood up with a frown on her lips. "You frightened him away." Her tone implied that she hadn't noticed anything different about the small fox in her lap.

"Trust me when I say, I highly doubt I frightened him." Kisame took Midoriko's elbow. "We must move quickly. I have arranged for transportation to Sound." He walked her to the old woman and gave Midoriko a stern look. "Please, Midoriko-chan, STAY PUT."

The old nurse maid guided Midoriko to a bench, where they sat. The pregnant woman was not happy about being told what she could and could not be doing. Despite the pain of being in suspended labor, this was the first time Midoriko was feeling free. She didn't want to stay in one place. There was a WHOLE village she could explore while they were waiting on this transportation. Another sharp pain in her side, and Midoriko was reminded that she really needed to just stay put. "Fine... I will stay put."

Kisame nodded his approval and turned to the three additional ninja. "Check the gates and sweep the area. If you see anyone even remotely suspicious, come back and report... DO. NOT. ENGAGE." The three nodded and vanished in a blur. Kisame turned back to Midoriko, who was ignoring the ramblings of the old nurse maid. He shook his head. "Midoriko-chan, we need to walk a little ways. There should be a carriage waiting to take us to the Sound Village, just outside the gates." He held out his hand to help her off the bench.

"But Kisame-san, she should not be moving..." The nurse maid tried to protest.

Midoriko smiled, taking Kisame's hand. "For the LAST time woman... I AM FINE!" Midoriko growled out, yet kept her smile. "Stop fussing over me before I insist you are a threat to my well being and allow Kisame-san the pleasure of killing you." She said with a hint of arrogance and uncaring indifference that would make any Uchiha proud.

The old woman swallowed. "I am simply thinking of your health and that of the child's." She bowed humbly.

Midoriko kept her eyes on Kisame and smiled. "I understand that you are under orders from My Lord Mizukage, to keep my health as your main priority, but your constant fussing is beginning to wear on my nerves. I appreciate your concern as well and I assure you, if at any time I am in pain or in any discomfort, you and Kisame-san will be the first to know." Midoriko turned her smile to the old lady. "Now I believe we have a short walk that will do me some good."

The old woman bowed again. "Yes my Lady." And fell into step behind Midoriko.

Kisame looked at Midoriko and shook his head. "One of these days, Midoriko-chan, you are going to make a great wife for a great Kage."

"I'm not interested." The pregnant woman harrumphed and turned up her nose at Kisame.

Kisame gave her a knowing smirk. "You say that now... But I am sure there will come a time." It was only a few steps before they heard the explosion and Kisame felt the waves of maniacal chakra. The Nurse maid went to one knee because of the pressure. Kisame turned back to Midoriko and the nurse maid. "We need to get out of here." Kisame scooped up Midoriko and headed for the outskirts of the village.

"Kisame-san, what's going on?" Midoriko got out in a labored breath as they skipped over buildings leaving the nurse behind.

"I believe your savior is here to rescue you, but it seems that he is a bit more pissed off than I had expected." Kisame grinned.

There was a roar that echoed throughout the village and carried with it a menacing breeze. Midoriko pulled closer to Kisame. "He sounds sad." She said almost apologetically.

"He sounds extremely angry if you ask me." They stopped outside of the village gates. Kisame set Midoriko down gently.

Midoriko walked to a tree and braced herself. She noticed something behind her and she turned to be staring into the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. She stared at the blonde man standing in front of her. His eyes were full of hope and sadness, joy and fear, but most of all, she could see straight into his soul. He had loved more deeply then she ever imagined possible and he had lost it all. She reached out a hand at touched his face. "I know you." Tears started to stream her face.

Naruto pressed her hand to his face. Her hand was cold but there was a hint of warmth just under her skin. He moved closer to her and was about to whisper something when Kisame voice rang across his ears. "DON'T DO IT YET OR IT WILL KILL HER!"

"**What?"** Naruto spun around to Kisame.

Midoriko let out a scream of pain and there was a gush of water at Naruto's feet. Midoriko put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and let out a pained chuckle. "I don't think Little One is going to wait any longer."

Kisame struggled under Sasuke grip. "There is no time for explanations. We need to get Midoriko to safety and a medic as quickly as humanly possible."

Sasuke turned to Naruto. "You get… My… Midoriko to Lady Tsunade. I can deal with Kisame."

Midoriko let out a heavy breath. "I'm not leaving without Kisame-san."

Sasuke looked at her in confusion. "Damn it you Crazy Bitch now is NOT a good time for you to be stubborn and make demands."

Naruto smiled at Midoriko and placed her next to the tree. The blonde walked out into the field. "**Sasuke, just bring him along, we don't have time to argue."**

Sasuke pushed Kisame towards the tree where Midoriko was grunting in pain. "What are you going to do dobe?"

"**We have to get somewhere quick."** Naruto flashed them a wicked smile. "**Call it a combined Transformation."** Naruto took his stance and made a hand sign. The wind started to pick up around him and there was a loud pop followed by an enormous cloud of white smoke.

When the smoke cleared the field, a gigantic nine tailed fox stood where Naruto had been. Kisame and Sasuke took a step back a little fearful about what they were seeing. Midoriko walked slowly towards the great beast. She had seen the creature in her dreams, but this one was different. Instead of being a dark orange and black, this kitsune was bright yellow and black. She blinked a few times to fight back the pains she was having and to make sure she was seeing the sight before her. The kitsune's huge muzzle came closer to her. Midoriko stared into azure blue feral eyes for a moment before she reached out a hand to touch his nose. She turned back to Sasuke and Kisame. "He says we should climb on."

The giant beast crouched down for everyone to climb aboard. Sasuke and Kisame worked together to get Midoriko to the top of the Kitsune's head. When they were aboard and secured, the fox seemed to grin. Midoriko lay on her side, as still as possible. She tried desperately not to wince with each contraction. Sasuke forced his hand into hers. "Just squeeze when you feel pain. That should help… I think"

Midoriko nodded. The contractions were getting closer and Naruto was enjoying the freedom of running like this. He was bounding over whole forests. Sasuke and Kisame where hanging on for dear life. Through her moments of pain, Midoriko was quit enjoying the ride. "YOUR GOING TO GET US ALL KILLED!" Sasuke yelled.

Naruto smirked the way any fox would and took another bounding leap over a large ravine. "Show off." Sasuke grumbled under his breath.

It took about an hour for the giant kitsune to travel what would have taken too long on foot, laden down with supplies and a pregnant woman. Tsunade was pacing outside Tazuna's house when she spotted the large fox bounding towards the house. The Hokage was panic stricken until she realized the coloring on the fox was different. "Single thought and action." She smiled. "Tsunami! I'm going to need lots of fresh water!"

0 – 0 – 0

The messenger hawk landed in the tower. Madara had been waiting for this hawk for hours. He had been pacing the messenger's tower waiting for it since Kisame and Midoriko had set sail. Madara grabbed the bird rather roughly, taking its message. He unrolled the scroll.

_My lord Mizukage,_

_It is my solemn and unfortunate duty to inform you that the Lady Midoriko and company never arrived at the rendezvous point outside of Sound. Several of my spies indicated that your caravan was ambushed moments after they landed on the mainland. I have retrieved and healed two of your Mist ninja. The third was put on ice for further testing and disposal, per our agreement, and a very confused old woman. She swears to me she saw a giant fox running from the port village headed for the Wave Country._

_Upon further interrogation, I found that the fox in question did not have the distinctive orange and black markings of the Kyuubi. It has come to my attention that THIS fox was in fact golden yellow in color with black markings. Where I can not confirm that your precious Midoriko is in Konoha, I would suspect that she is at least on her way there._

_Your humble servant and ally,_

_Lord Kabuto_

_Otokage._

Madara crumpled the scroll and seethed with anger. "Kisame, you have disappointed me greatly."

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto was sitting behind Midoriko allowing her to brace her back against his front. "Ok Midoriko, here comes another contraction. I need one more hard push and it will be over." Tsunade looked like a catcher at the end of the bed.

Midoriko rested her head against Naruto's chest. She was breathing heavily was sweating profusely. "I can't… I'm too tired." She said breathlessly.

Naruto whipped the sweat from her brow. "You can do it, I know you can."

"YOU TRY SQUEEZING A WATER MELON OUT OF SOMETHING THE SIZE OF A GOLF BALL AND SEE HOW YOU FEEL HALF WAY THROUGH IT! WHEN I FIND THE FATHER OF THIS BABY I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL HIM!" Midoriko screamed and let out a final grunt of effort.

0 – 0 – 0

Down stairs of the Tazuna house, Sasuke was laughing hysterically. That had to be the fourth or fifth time Midoriko had threatened to kill Naruto. Kisame was also snickering to a point. He had never heard Midoriko utter such language before. But he also found it funny that she had threatened to kill Naruto. They heard the sound of a baby cry loudly and there was a sigh of relief that echoed throughout the house.

0 – 0 – 0

Tsunade was cleaning the baby as Midoriko rested against Naruto. She was still breathing heavily and started to shiver. Naruto wrapped his arms around her. "You did good." He whispered to her.

Midoriko wasn't sure what she was feeling at that moment. It was a combination of elation, relief and content. She knew the man sitting behind her, though she had never met him before, or had she? The only other men that had been her constant had been Kisame and the Mizukage. Being near them never felt this… right.

Midoriko turned her head up to the blonde that had been her constant for the last few hours. She gazed upon his chiseled features and a spark of memory came to her. He was the blonde boy she had been dreaming about. "You…" she breathed out. "You've been in my dreams." She reached up to touch his face again.

"It's good to know you still remember a little of me." Naruto smiled at her. He wanted so much to remove the seal that kept her mind bound. The blonde wanted her to remember him and what she meant to him, and most of all, what he meant to her.

Tsunade walked over to them with a bundle of squirming baby and placed him in his mother's arms. "May I present your son?" The Hokage looked at Midoriko first; then winked up at Naruto. "He is healthy but very weak. It seems this little guy was waiting for something before he joined the world."

Midoriko gazed on the baby and took a sharp intake of breath. The boy was perfect in every way as far as she was concerned, but the three things that stood out the most was the baby's shock of orange blonde hair, crystalline blue eyes and three faint whisker marks on his cheeks. She looked up at Naruto again and felt how warm the man was against her back. She felt how right it was to be there with him. She closed her eyes and a memory flashed before her.

*flash back*

Myra kneeled at Naruto's feet, tears streaming down her face. "You have to do this. It's the only way."

Naruto shook his head violently. "No… I can't… I won't do it. I don't care what the council wants. This is not the answer."

Myra smiled sadly. "Of course it isn't, but it is what must be done for now. I love you Naruto. Don't you ever, EVER forget that? They may be able to force you into changing my mind, but nothing can change my heart. That belongs to you and only you. We will see each other again."

"**I don't want to live without you."** Naruto whined sadly putting his forehead on hers.

Myra kissed Naruto deeply. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity. She broke the kiss. "Do it now. Don't let it torture either of us anymore than it has to."

*end of flash back*

She opened her eyes and looked at Naruto again. "Your name is Naruto." She whispered.

Naruto gazed into teary chocolate eyes. "Shhh. Don't worry about that now. I'm here and I'm not going to let you go again."

Midoriko held the baby towards him. "Would you like to hold your son?"

Naruto blinked at her. Part of him was scared about holding the baby, the other half was scared that he had somehow released the seal, and still there was another part of him the was fearful of the threats she had made several times over the course of the last few hours. "How do you know?"

"That you are his father? Just a guess for now. I am sure that someone will explain it to me later." She yawned. "But right now, I am very tired and would like to sleep like Little One there." Midoriko looked over at Tsunade.

"Actually, I would think some sleep would be a good idea. We'll take care of junior while you get some rest." Tsunade smiled.

Naruto took his son and cradled the delicate object in his arms. The boy was so small and so warm. This was HIS kit in his arms, HIS son, and HIS family was finally together. An enormous swelling of pride filled his chest. Naruto was about to tell Myra… Midoriko how beautiful the boy in his arms was. But she was fast asleep. Naruto looked up at Tsunade.

"I'll take him for now. You're kind of stuck where you are." Tsunade smiled.

"Tsunade…" It was the first time he had called her by her name.

This caused Tsunade to pause. "Yes Naruto."

"Have you had a chance to look at what Madara did to the memory seal yet?"

"I've been a bit busy since you got here, so no, I haven't. I will have a look when she wakes up. In the meantime…" Tsunade reached out to take the baby.

The new father held the small boy tight to his chest protectively. "I would actually like you to leave him here. They can wait. I've missed nine months of getting to know him. I don't want to miss anymore." Naruto smirked.

"All right Naruto. Call me should you need anything." Tsunade started out the door.

"Thanks… Oba-chan."

"Your father would be very proud of you Naruto. Because I know I am." Tsunade closed the door.

Midoriko let out a sigh of content and snuggled closer to Naruto. The blonde gazed down at her. "I love you and I'll never let you go." He held his son close. "**Either of you."**


	74. The Last to Know

**A/N: Hi All… Glad to see that you came back. I would like to say Thanks to Wandering Maverick !!!!AGAIN!!! for helping me out with this chapter… I don't write an "angry" Naruto very well and he helped me out with that… A LOT… In the meantime, while you're waiting for my next chapter, I would suggest you go read his "Ascension of the Kitsune". I have been enjoying it IMMENSELY.**

Normal

"Speech"

_Thought_

_**Kyuubi**_

Warnings: I STILL do not own Naruto (sad isn't it). Rated "M" for language and adult situations.

Chapter 74: The Last to Know

Tsunade walked down the stairs of the house. There were several people gathered in the living room. They all had expectant looks, except for Tsunami, who looked more like a grinning Cheshire cat. "It's a healthy baby boy. Mother, father and baby are taking a little nap, but I am sure in a couple of hours, Naruto will be showing him off to everyone."

"Leave it to dobe to have a boy." Sasuke grumbled.

"Just because the first Uchiha to be born is going to be a girl, doesn't mean anything." Tsunade smiled, but turned a hard expression to Kisame. "How long has she been prolonging the birth?"

"It's been a few days at least, and I don't think it was Midoriko that was waiting." Kisame stated flatly.

Tsunade scratched her chin in contemplation. "I see."

"HER name is Myra." Sasuke growled.

"Unfortunately, Kisame is correct for the time being. Until we can figure out how Madara altered the Memory Seal, she will be Midoriko for now. It is apparent, however, that some of the memories are surfacing. Myra said something to Naruto moments before he placed the seal on her memories. He could change her mind, but he couldn't change her heart. The good news is that even if we can never remove the seal from her memories, Midoriko feels something for Naruto." Tsunade looked up the stairs.

"I know very little about how Madara altered the seal." Kisame shrugged.

"I want to know why you betrayed Madara." Tsunade demanded more than questioned.

"Look I know what he was planning. I didn't like the idea of world domination by that freak. So I did what I had to do. I saved a life or two in the process, yeah for me. Two sins whipped away because I was a good guy." Kisame sighed.

"What is he planning?" Sasuke asked.

"Well considering that his plan just went down the shitter, I wouldn't be able to tell you. But while that bastard is still alive, Midoriko and Son are in serious danger. Madara had Kabuto fake the body that was supposed to be Myra's. It was supposed to be perfect in every way." Kisame smirked and shot a glance to Sasuke. "I figure the reason it back fired was that the accident was TOO perfect. The old bastard was going to use Myra as a breeding machine to produce his new Uchiha army, but that idea got tossed out the window when he found out she was already pregnant. Then Madara was convinced that Naruto had some sort of DNA that made him perfect as a jinchuriki. So the new plan to create an army of jinchuriki under his control was conceived. He would have Kabuto clone the children. He has seven of the nine Biju sealed in a statue. Madara knows a sealing ritual to imprison each of the biju in a human child. Add to that the capabilities to control the biju, the demon child of Naruto to train as he saw fit, and Madara thought he would be unstoppable. Then IF Midoriko survived the birth, he was GOING to make more Uchiha babies to assist in ruling his world and keep him alive for all eternity."

"Permission to kill the lunatic ma'am?" Sasuke glared at Tsunade.

"Granted…"

"I don't think you will have to wait long. As soon as my little caravan doesn't make the rendezvous point with Sound, Kabuto will send a message to Madara. It will only be a matter of time before the bastard shows up looking for Midoriko and the baby."

"That's why I brought this with me." Sasuke pulled out a small handheld device from his pocket. "I made a phone call before we left Konoha. Uncle had this sent for us. He said that it is a smaller version of the one in Konoha and should keep Madara out of the vicinity." Sasuke tossed it to Tsunade.

She caught the small device. "An Ethereal Chakra shield? How thoughtful of Thunder Bear." Tsunade said with a hint of sarcasm.

Kisame tilted his head. "What is that thing?"

"Hn. Something that will keep Madara from making a surprise appearance." Sasuke mused. "It may piss him off a little more than he already is, but it was a nice birthday gift for the little dobe. Oh, which reminds me, Uncle Rai said he would meet us in the village as soon as he could."

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto stared at the sleeping baby in his arms. He had been checking over the bundle in his arms for the past several hours. It had been about fifty or so times he counted the number of toes and fingers. Naruto knew how many hairs the baby had on his soft head. The small bundle started to squirm and blinked open blue eyes. Father and son connected in that instant. The baby seemed to grin and reach out. Naruto nuzzled his face into the baby's hands, "**My kit."** He whispered ever so slightly.

The baby made a gurgle noise and started to make a sound like a hiccup. Then a soft cry assaulted Naruto's ears. Midoriko stirred and soon, Naruto was looking into deep chocolate eyes. "I'm going to need him back now."

"I can take care of him." Naruto said proudly.

"And how exactly do you plan on feeding him?" Midoriko smirked.

Naruto looked at his son. "Do you think you can wait three minutes for ramen?" For a child that was only a few hours old, it seemed strange for the boy to knit his thin eyeborws together, but Naruto watched the boy do exactly that. Midoriko laughed and took the small bundle from Naruto, who whimpered sadly. "I said I would make ramen."

"You get points for the thought, but ramen isn't something he can eat just yet." Midoriko laid the baby on her lap and started to undress from the waist up. She thought about what she was doing and turned back to Naruto. "Um… Do you think you can give us a little privacy?"

"I guess so." Naruto made a sad face and got up from the bed. He was sulking out of the room when he heard a familiar giggle.

"I didn't say you had to leave unless you're tired of keeping an eye on me." Naruto turned to see Midoriko holding the baby close to her breast and a small blanket thrown over her shoulder to keep things discrete.

Naruto just stared at her. Everything about her was beautiful, but there was still something missing from her. She was outwardly Myra, but until he unlocked that part of her that made her who she was, Myra would be trapped and Midoriko would remain. He let out a deep sigh and smiled sadly. "I would never get tired of watching over you."

"The Mizukage said that to me." She frowned and looked away. "But it never sounded as sincere as it does when you say it." Tears started to drip down her cheeks. "I know you and I can feel it. The memory is just out of reach." She started to sob. "Why can't I remember?"

Naruto rushed over to her and turned her head to look directly in his eyes. "Shhh. I'm here now and that's all that maters." He took a deep breath and Midoriko watched as he changed ever so slightly. "**I was very serious when I said I would never let you go again and I am very serious when I say that I will watch over and protect you from harm, you and Kit."**

Midoriko blinked as Naruto's eyes kept the crystalline blue color, but the human irises became feral slits. Then the voice in her head, just behind a closed door told her it was ok and not to be afraid. Midoriko had always been able to hear the voice, but it was always muffled and she couldn't hear it clearly. Over the last few hours the voice had become clearer. "_Just trust him, for once in your life trust him."_ The voice screamed from just behind the door.

"Then I will let you." Midoriko smiled sadly.

This small submission from Midoriko made Naruto feel a little better about the situation. She would trust him and that was a beginning. He sat back on the bed and allowed Midoriko to lean back against him again and she felt the warmth she craved, no… the warmth from him she needed. She couldn't have explained it even if she tried. Midoriko needed this blonde stranger. She had felt so suffocated with the Mizukage. Here, with Naruto she could breathe again. Soon the baby stopped suckling and was fast asleep again.

Naruto averted his eyes while she dressed. Tsunade knocked on the door and opened it slowly. "Naruto? Midoriko? Are you awake?"

Midoriko looked up. "Yes. But the little one is taking another short nap before he decides he is hungry again."

"I need to do another check on him to make sure he is ok. Have you picked a name for him yet?" Tsunade took the bundle from Midoriko.

"There has only been one name I have ever thought about. I don't know why, but it was the name that seemed to fit." Midoriko turned to Naruto. "Does the name Minato have any meaning to you?"

Naruto looked away. "It was," he was still coming to terms with his father being the Yondiame, "my father's name." Naruto took a deep breath as if he didn't want to say more. "And it was your brother's name."

Short flashes of children laughing and running through a field of tall grass flooded her memory. "We used to play together. The man, down stairs, is he?"

"No… But he is like your brother in many ways." Tsunade said quietly. She checked over the baby and found him to be in good health. He was still weak from preventing his own birth, but it wasn't anything he wouldn't recover from. Tsunade handed the baby back to Naruto. "Midoriko, I need to have a look at you now, so is it ok if Naruto take's Minato downstairs?"

Midoriko blinked up at Naruto. "Does he have to go down stairs?'

Tsunade turned a little red. "Well I do have to check a few things that can make most men faint. So unless you want him here while I check on your stitches and a few other things…" Naruto was beginning to turn a little green.

Midoriko was beginning to blush. "Yes, you may take him down stairs."

0 – 0 – 0

Nartuo walked gently down stairs with his son. He got half way down the staircase when small blue eyes opened and looked at him. "I thought you were taking a nap?" The baby gurgled in response. Naruto shrugged and continued down the stairs. Sasuke was looking out the window when Naruto got to the bottom of the stairs. Kisame seemed to be taking a nap on the couch.

"Did you bring him downstairs to gloat?" Sasuke never took his eyes off the front of the house.

"No… Not really… Tsunade is checking over Myra to make sure everything is ok. I thought you might like to meet your nephew… Ok and to gloat a little." Naruto grinned from ear to ear.

Kisame opened one eye and then sat up. "So is that Noodle?" Sasuke and Naruto looked at Kisame like he was crazy. "What? Midoriko craved ramen all the time. It was a joke. I would make mention that my mother craved shark fin soup… She would look at me and scream that her son was going to be a noodle. So it kind of stuck."

"His name is Minato." Naruto grumbled.

Sasuke snickered. "Fish Cakes and Noodles, are you going to name the next one Broth? Then you can be a whole family of Ramen."

Naruto narrowed he eyes at Sasuke. "Ha ha ha… Very funny Teme…" Naruto looked down at his son. "The first thing you need to know Mi-Na-To… is that your uncle Teme is an idiot." The baby just gurgled.

Tsunami came into the living room with a tray full of tea. "Naruto… I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I don't think Midoriko is going to be happy with you teaching your son bad words at such an early age."

Tsunade was half way down the stairs. "I would happen to agree Naruto. Tsunami, please take the baby up to Midoriko. I need to speak to these three." Tsunami nodded and walked over to Naruto. The blonde reluctantly handed over the boy to Tsunami. The woman smiled and took Minato with loving expertise.

Tsunade walked the rest of the way down the stairs, picked up some tea, and waited for Tsunami to be up stairs. "Madara didn't alter the seal. He placed one of his own. If the main seal is broken, the secondary seal placed by Madara will trigger and cause a synaptic shut down of her nervous system. In short, it will kill her. The seal is not something I can remove. I do not know enough about sealing jutsu to make the attempt and anyone I would trust to make the attempt is dead."

Naruto nodded his head a few times. Then, with out a word or a glance to anyone he walked out the door. Tsunade blinked in confusion. She was expecting loud protesting or even declarations of hope and possibilities. This silent submission was not the Naruto she knew. Sasuke, too, watched his best friends walk out the door in confusion. He had never known the blonde to seemingly give up or to brood. But since Myra's supposed death, Naruto had increasingly wanted to be alone.

"Sasuke…" Tsunade didn't have to finisher her request.

The Uchiha shot a glare at Kisame. The large shark man rolled his eyes. "What?"

Sasuke's serious expression never wavered. "Can I trust you?"

Kisame shook his head. "There is a legendary Sannin in the house and you're worried about me?"

"I will keep an eye on Kisame." Tsunade stated firmly. "He won't go anywhere."

"Good." Sasuke turned to head out the door.

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto walked into the woods around Tazuna's house. He had reached his emotional limit when Tsunade had announced that she couldn't fix Myra. There was so much on his mind that he didn't know where to start. There wasn't one thing he wanted to tackle first. The walk was helping him sort it out, but there was still that overwhelming guilt and sadness that he was the cause of all this. If he hadn't done what the council had asked. If HE hadn't suggested it to Myra in the first place, then maybe she would still be here.

"_**Stop beating yourself up, you are NOT the Uchiha Bastard."**_

"_I don't need you right now."_ Naruto spat.

"_**Then let me out to run around for a little while… I don't want to listen to you piss and moan about the things you can not change."**_ Kyuubi grumbled.

Naruto stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow. "_I thought you liked my self inflicted misery?"_

"_**Back in the good ol' days when we had nothing in common… Yes… I enjoyed it immensely. But now that I can actually sympathies with you, not so much."**_ Kyuubi took a deep breath. "_**I feel your pain Kit. I miss her too. We gave her the idea and placed the Memory Seal to keep her safe from Madara. We didn't think that he would try and keep Myra as a common whore."**_

Naruto's fists clenched and he growled. "_I NEVER want to hear her name and the word "whore" in the same sentence."_

Kyuubi hung his great head. "_**Truth hurts Kit. That's what he was going to do."**_ The great beast let out a sigh. "_**Now do me a favor and let me out. I would like to have a look at the seal Madara placed. I may be able to offer some advice. I will also have the Uchiha bastard call on the Fowl-know-it-all and the Cryptic one. There are a few things I need to discuss with them. I want to know if they knew she was alive, and as Lord of the Ethereal, I will punish them for not alerting anyone"**_

Naruto felt his blood start to boil. "_They knew?"_

"_**Yes Kit… I believe they knew."**_

Naruto started swinging and didn't care how many trees were decimated with each punch. His violent outburst only lasted a matter of moments, but in those moments, Naruto created a large clearing of trees. When the dust settled and Naruto stood in the middle of the clearing still fuming. "**Why am I the last person to know this shit?!"** He yelled at everyone and no one in general.

Sasuke had watched his friend from a safe distance. "Excuse us for wanting you alive to see Myra again." He stated coolly as he stepped out from newly created tree line.

Red feral eyes glared at Sasuke. "**No… I won't excuse it. I am SICK of being treated like a little kid. When I act like it I expect someone to smack me. Sakura does it ALL the time. But YOU kept MY SON from me."** Naruto got in Sasuke's face. "**You, Sasuke Uchiha, betrayer of Konoha because of your family and for your family; YOU, the Great Uchiha Avenger, who once accused ME of not knowing or understanding what family was; YOU DENIED ME MY SON!"** the blonde roared. "**So don't come to me with that crap."**

Sasuke schooled his features and did not show Naruto the shame he was feeling. "Let's just say we did tell you immediately... What would you have done?" Sasuke stepped around Naruto "You would have torn out of the village in a blind rage with one thing on your mind. But you would have been walking straight into the hands the enemy; an enemy that isn't going to stop until he is dead."

Naruto growled. "**I would have gotten her out and that's what would have mattered."**

"DAMN IT NARUTO THINK!" Sasuke yelled in exasperation. "Sure, you're strong and with the Kyuubi behind you, you are a one man army. I want to believe that you would have gone into the village of the Mist and torn the place apart getting Myra out. But how long before the other shinobi villages are at Konoha's gates trying to prevent what happened to Mist from happening to them. They wouldn't have seen the destruction of Mist as a rescue mission. They would have seen it as an act of war."

There was a silence between them as Naruto face contorted with the concentration of Sasuke's argument. A few more moments slipped by before Sasuke spoke again. The Uchiha knew the blonde was finally beginning to see reason, but none the less, Sasuke needed to say something. "Despite being the smart thing to do…" Sasuke swallowed dryly. "I… I'm still sorry Naruto." He said hardly above a whisper. A moment later Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Tell ANYONE I said that and don't expect anymore children after this one." He growled out, before a small smirk started to tug at the corners of his lips.

At first, Naruto didn't register Sasuke's final words. His mind was still preoccupied with his anger over his current helplessness at the situation and his shinobi instincts making him begrudgingly understand Sasuke and Tsunade's decision. He mulled over these conflicting thoughts for several more silent minutes before he let out a long and labored sigh. Naruto turned his heated gaze to the ground.

He finally opened his calmer blue eyes, as if finally coming to a decision of what he should be doing, and let a small smile tug at his own lips when he registered the strange phenomenon that just occurred. "Yeah, sure thing teme, no one would believe me anyway." The blonde shook his head and chuckled lightly. They both started to walk back to the house leaving the anger and guilt buried in the decimated shrubbery around them.


	75. A Day in the Life

AN: Hi everyone! I am SOOOO sorry that it has taken as long as it has. Life has been a pain and I sort of got caught up in life. Life is much better now and the chapters should come easier now that life has been dealt with and is back to at least semi normal. Or at least semi normal for me *Smiles* There is a song that goes with the chapter… "River Lullaby" by Amy Grant, Prince of Egypt Soundtrack.

Warning: Naruto is not mine…

Chapter 75: A day in the life

The warm breeze came through the window and caressed Midoriko's skin. The woman blinked her eyes open and greeted the afternoon like she had been for the last few weeks. She had fallen asleep, yet again, in the rocking chair next to the crib. She stood up and stretched to work the kinks out of her stiff back and looked over Minato one last time before she set out to make dinner for herself and Naruto. The baby in the crib was sleeping soundly and would not wake for at least another hour, maybe an hour and a half, Midoriko could only hope.

Another warm breeze caressed her cheek and she was reminded how glad she was to finally reach the warmer climate of Konoha. There was a feeling of familiarity the moment Midoriko had stepped in the village gates. Unfortunately, that is where the feeling stopped. Four weeks had passed since Midoriko's rescue and it had been three weeks since she was brought to the village. The memories started to flood her mind as she walked the streets. Flashes of people, places, and events came back to her, but because of how disjointed the memories were, she could never put them together. Midoriko's memory was like a large jigsaw puzzle with an unknown number of pieces with a very fuzzy and distorted picture to go by.

The first thing Midoriko had to coupe with upon her return to the village was the heated debate as to where the she, and child, were going to reside. There were several suggestions, none that Midoriko was very enthusiastic about. The first, suggested by the relieved Rai, her father, was for Midoriko and Minato to return to America with him with the hope that being at home would stimulate her memory. Of course Naruto was having none of that. Sasuke then suggested Midoriko move into the main Uchiha house with him and Sakura. Once again, Naruto protested, but he still did not offer a solution of his own.

Midoriko had sat listening to the debate and got tired of the fighting. She felt very glad there were people concerned for her well being, but it was those same people that seemed to forget she was even in the room. No one had bothered to ask her, or even consult Midoriko to what she wanted to do. The assembly of people were too busy arguing about what they thought was best for her and Minato. Midoriko had felt like a small child rather than a woman that had just given birth.

Midoriko slipped out of the Hokage's office and wondered the streets of Konoha for little while before she was found by a very nice boy, his girlfriend and their enormous white dog. Rai seemed to be the most upset by her disappearance than anyone else and scolded her the moment Kiba and Akamaru returned her to the Hokage's office. Tsunade had to explain to Midoriko later that Rai was more upset that he hadn't noticed her leave. Naruto wouldn't, or couldn't look at her. He smiled sadly, took Minato from her gently and told her. "You and I are moving into one of the houses in the Uchiha block down the street from teme and Sakura." Midoriko had nodded silently and left it alone. Finally, that was something she could agree to. Naruto was the only thing that seemed to make sense in her life besides Minato.

The newly refurbished Uchiha section of the village had become a new source of revenue for the head of the Uchiha Clan. The former Hyuuga lord had the abandoned section cleaned and repainted with the anticipation of annexation of the Uchiha clan into the Hyuuga. Sasuke had needed to build a home for himself and his soon to be family. So it seemed logical to open the section to all that wanted to live there. Sasuke wanted to make it a home for his children and at least have the happiness in the area that he once enjoyed as a young child. It became the new hot spot to live in Konoha. Shinobi and civilians alike had come to live in the once barren section of the village. In the few months the section had been open, a grocery store, a book store, and a shinobi supply store had moved in to make life a little easier.

Midoriko had been given the choice of the houses available. There were two Midoriko fell in love with. Both of the houses were huge, four rooms that could be for sleeping, a library, living area and an enormous kitchen. But only one of them had a large outdoor area that could be turned into a garden. It even had an old pond that if cleaned, could support a small range of aquatic life.

In the end, Midoriko triumphantly got the keys to the house with the garden area. Midoriko went to work. She cleaned, well… she watched as Mr. Ravenheart directed a mass of craftsmen and workers to clean and paint. In a matter of days, the empty lifeless house was a warm, inviting, home full of love and life. Midoriko had insisted that the master bedroom be for Naruto. She had taken the one of the smaller rooms with the joining room becoming Minato's nursery. From the moment Mr. Ravenheart handed Midoriko the keys to the house, she took over everything domestic. She cooked, she cleaned, and she took care of Minato. Yet she still felt as there was something missing.

Dinner tonight was part of a rhythm that Midoriko was trying to establish. The first few weeks were a bit difficult because Minato was still waking up at all hours of the night. But Midoriko had managed to get through it with some silent, yet appreciated help from Naruto. Minato had been cutting his very first teeth. The boy was being extremely cranky as far as Naruto was concerned. Midoriko had fallen asleep in the rocking chair next to the crib and Minato was beginning to stir. Naruto stealthily entered the Nursery and extracted Minato from his crib before the boy could start to cry.

Naruto and son stared at each other for several moments. The boy looked as if the tears were welling up behind the deepening shade of blue. Naruto gazed at Minato, his expression never wavering. "What do you think you are doing son? Can't you see that your mother is exhausted? I know you must hurt or something, but suck it up. Your Uncle put his fist through my shoulder once, and I didn't cry and keep anyone up for days because of it." Naruto's tone was quiet, but harsh at the same time.

Minato's violet blue eyes quivered and looked away from his father. The boy took a deep breath. Naruto didn't think anything of it. The boy had listened and taken to heart what Naruto had to say. Midoriko thought it was a bit strange that Minato wasn't crying about anything after that. After Midoriko woke up to find Minato awake, lying in his crib and silently crying about his soaked to the bone diaper, Midoriko woke Naruto up rather violently and demanded to hear what he had told the infant boy.

Naruto whipped the cold water off his face. "I might have told him a story about getting a fist shoved through my chest and how I didn't whine about it and keep people up for days on end." He finished with a little guilt in his voice.

Midoriko narrowed her eyes at Naruto. "You insensitive git! You told an infant that he shouldn't CRY? What kind of father would tell their own son not to cry? How am I supposed to know when he's hungry, or when he needs to be changed? If he doesn't cry I don't know. I don't have some sort of telepathy that makes me automatically know when Little One needs something."

"Myra would know…" Naruto grumbled under his breath; then as Midoriko's fire was taken away from her, she turned to leave the room. Naruto mentally kicked himself for saying it. He had chased after Midoriko and tried to apologize in vain for saying something like that. He had never gotten to apologize to Midoriko, but she knew he shouldn't have to. After all… he was right. Myra would know exactly what her own child was thinking and feeling. Midoriko felt the deep connection with Minato and with Naruto, but there was a barrier that kept her distant from the two of them.

She was setting the table when she heard the sounds of Minato waking from his nap and the sounds of knocking at the door. Midoriko shook her head. Naruto had keys to the house, but still insisted on knocking on the door when he came home. Midoriko set down the plates on the table to answer the door. She tried to keep her face stoic when she answered the door. But no mater how hard she tried, there was always a curl of a smile at the corner of her lips when she saw he was home safely.

Naruto shed his black trench coat and handed it to Midoriko wordlessly before walking to the nursery to have some father, son time before dinner. The woman sighed and hung up the trench coat before returning to the kitchen. This was the way it had been and this was going to be the way it was unless she could find a way to break through the silence. Diner was relatively silent as it had been. Midoriko spent the rest of her evening cleaning the kitchen and doing the dishes. This was her free time. Naruto was home and took care of Minato. It had been a silent agreement from the moment they moved into the house. She would have diner on the table and it would be Naruto's job to spend time with Minato. So far the plan was perfect.

Midoriko could be content with this arrangement, except for the silence. She had tried to talk to him, but she never knew what to say. Anytime they did talk, there would some argument and she could see him holding back. She could see the pain flash behind his eyes; then Naruto would turn and walk away from her. Midoriko finished cleaning the kitchen and went out into the living room. She let the smile grace her lips. Naruto was asleep on the couch, with Minato sound asleep on his chest, and the TV show host squawking about the latest and greatest in house hold appliances.

Midoriko was moving the infant when Minato stirred and was about to cry in protest of his movement. The mother instinctively started to rub circles in the infants back, humming a haunting lullaby that not only calmed the infant boy, calmed the adult that was currently feigning sleep on the couch.

Naruto still loved her. He couldn't help but love her. Whether she called herself Midoriko, or Myra, he still loved her. But the one he wanted was Myra. Midoriko was a shadow of Myra, a personality that was a figment of Myra's imagination. Midoriko was the "what if" of Myra's life. What if Myra had never known about being a ninja? What if Myra had never know she had a brother? What if she had never seen her brother murdered before her very eyes? What if Myra had gotten to live a happy, normal, adjusted life? That is what Midoriko was, she was the answer to the "what if" questions.

He would protect the mother of his son, but Naruto could not bring himself to love Midoriko the way he loved Myra. And until he could find a way to get Myra back, Naruto had resigned himself to maintaining his distance form Midoriko. It was slowly killing him. She was right there. He wanted to take full advantage of her, but to cross that line would make him no better than those people that still believed he and the Fox were the same creature.

Naruto slowly sat up on the couch, watching the woman walk the boy into the nursery. The haunting melody that Midoriko sang drew him to her. He couldn't help the urge to watch her do what ever it was that she was doing.

Midoriko walked ever so slowly with the baby tucked in her arms, Minato's head on her chest, just over her heart. She kept it slow a deliberate as she walked and rocked to the tempo of the song.

_Hush now my baby, be still now don't cry__  
Sleep like you're rocked by the steam__  
Sleep and remember my lullaby  
So I'll be with you when you dream._

_Drift on a river that flows through my arms  
Drift as I'm singing to you  
I see you smiling so peaceful and calm  
Holding you I'm smiling too._

Midoriko turned the corner to the nursery and stepped in the room. Minato made a few sleepy cries to complain about being moved.

_Here in my arms  
Safe from all harm  
Holding you I'm smiling too._

Naruto had followed mother and son to the nursery. He had been watching from the shadows each time this ritual had occurred. It was amazing to him. She could calm any storm the child could start. This was no storm at the moment, but Naruto could see his son's eyes opening and closing trying to defy sleep.

_Hush now my baby, be still now don't cry  
Sleep like you're rocked by the steam  
Sleep and remember this river lullaby  
So I'll be with you when you dream._

A few last whines and short grunts told Midoriko that Minato was out completely not to return from slumber until the morning.

_Here in my arms  
Safe from all harm  
Holding you I'm smiling too._

Midoriko pulled the boy close to her breast and kissed the top of his head. She laid Minato in the crib on his back, pulling the blanket up to his chest, and setting the plushy fox, Mr. Fluffles, in the crib, but off to the side. Midoriko put her hand on his head and finished her lullaby.

_Sleep and remember this river lullaby  
So I'll be with you when you dream._

The tears were falling before she knew she was crying. Midoriko sniffled and whipped away the tears. She took a deep breath. Sleep sounded like a good idea to her. She moved to her room, never noticing that she was being watched. Naruto would always watch over her. It was a promise he had made the day he had found her. And he never went back on his promise.

0 – 0 – 0

Midoriko stood next to the exam table Minato was lying on. "Is he going to be ok?" She asked worriedly.

Tsunade smiled and shook her head. "He's going to be fine. He just fell off the bed, nothing serious."

"But..."

"No buts... Minato has a head as thick as his father's." Tsunade laughed. "I see no damage besides a minor bump on his head."

The boy in question laughed and continued to chew on Mr. Fluffles's tails. Midoriko let out a sigh of relief. "I was so worried."

"Now on to you." Tsunade padded the exam table.

Midoriko blinked. "I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me girl, I can tell you are a little run down and a little blue." Tsunade gave Midoriko a very sideways smirk.

Midoriko let out another sigh and slouched her shoulders in defeat. "I feel like a caged animal." She smiled wistfully and rubbed Minato's head. The little boy stopped chewing on the tail of his favorite toy and pulled on his mother's hand.

Little violet blue eyes connected with Tsunade as if to say _do something_. Tsunade blinked. The boy had an intelligence behind his eyes that his body betrayed. "I think its time you started training." Tsunade suggested.

Midoriko snapped her eyes up at the blonde Hokage in confusion. "Train, but I don't have any abilities."

"I'm going to speak with your father, Gai, and Rock Lee. I think among them we can start something that will help with the feelings of being run down. And although the knowledge of how to use your chakra abilities and the chakra itself is blocked, it doesn't mean you can not train." Tsunade smiled in a motherly way. "We will work something out. Have you asked Naruto if he would teach you?"

Midoriko looked away. "Naruto and I don't talk much."

The blonde Hokage nodded. "I see."

"He's adjusting, as am I. It's going to take time." Midoriko continued to stare at nothing in general.

Tsunade put her hand on the woman's shoulder and offered a understanding smile. Naruto was being very moody as of late, taking any mission he could get that kept him with in the village or, at the most, with in a days travel. The sanin smirked inwardly. This was a very awkward time when she could be concerned about Naruto being angsty and complain about Sasuke not shutting up. Tsunade sighed. "I have never known Naruto to be patient about anything, but I am sure he will learn. In the meantime, I believe that the training may spark a memory or two."

Midoriko shrugged. "Maybe." She answered skeptically. "Can I hire Konohamaru-kun and his little friends to do the babysitting while I'm training?"

Tsunade blinked. "I don't see why not. There might be some opportunities where Minato would be able to go with you. It would do him some good to get out of the house as well."

Midoriko took a deep breath and started to feel better about life in general. She picked up Minato and nuzzled him before putting the boy in his stroller. "I will drop by the Mission office later this week. I would think I need to discuss this with Naruto first."

0 – 0 – 0

"No." Naruto grunted.

"I don't need your approval. I was just asking out of courtesy." Midoriko was picking up the dishes from diner. "I'm going to do this with or with out your approval. I thought you would at least like to know what I was planning." She spun around to take the dishes in the kitchen.

He sat at the head of the table and glared at her back. Naruto was angry. He was angry with Tsunade for suggesting Midoriko be training in the first place. He was angry that he hadn't thought of the idea to begin with. Naruto continued to stare at her back. He wanted to be the one that caused her face to light up with a memory, not that green clad freak. "You can't train with a baby in your arms." He groused thinking that would put a stop to this for now.

There was silence from the woman for a moment until she walked back into the dining room and stood in front of Minato with a bottle. "And I don't plan to unless it is something like a good walk through the village." She handed Minato the bottle and her voice became very baby-ish. "Isn't that right Little One? Tell Daddy he's being a meany."

Situated in his special chair, Minato laughed and kicked his legs in the air. Midoriko smiled, despite Naruto's frown. "I am going to take full advantage of the Mission office. Konohamaru-kun and his friends have expressed that they would love the opportunity to spend time with Minato. I figured they should get paid for doing something they want to do."

Naruto crossed his arms and put his hand on his chin in thought. It was a good idea actually. He could trust Team Konohamaru to protect Minato and Midoriko if needed. He had to accept that Midoriko was going to need time to let the memories surface naturally. This was something he had discussed in detail with everyone concerned. Until there was a way to remove Madara's Kill seal, the memories had to come back to her on their own. People, places, thing, smells, and anything they could think of, was a way to trigger a memory. However the main key was Midoriko. She had to WANT to be Myra. Midoriko seemed excited about training. "All right. But there are conditions." Naruto let his arms drop to his sides.

"Conditions?" Midoriko blinked.

"No more than two hours a day, nothing should interfere with any important missions, and I get to drop by and offer assistance when I can." He nodded.

Midoriko's face light up with a smile. The whole room seemed to flicker with the brilliance of her smile. Naruto dared gaze into chocolate pools and for that split second he could see Myra staring back at him. Midoriko blinked and Myra was gone. The woman darted forward catching Naruto off guard in a crushing hug. Naruto sighed closing his eyes and returned the embrace. He was about to say something important when warm lips pressed up against his cheek. "Thank you Naruto-kun." Midoriko squealed in excitement. She turned to the little boy that was done with his bottle. "Come on Little One, bath time." She picked him up and danced with the little boy to the bathroom.

Midoriko had walked out of the dining room before Naruto let out the breath that had gotten stuck in his throat. His hand came up to capture the warm spot on his cheek. It was too brief. He wanted more. He NEEDED more. Naruto wanted to feel her lips pressed firmly against his. He needed to explore the moist cavern of her mouth with his tongue and his… He needed a cold shower and some extra training time with Sasuke.

"_**You need to get over it."**_ The Kyuubi snickered.

Naruto sighed and gingerly walked to his room. "_I need to get Myra back; then I will get over it."_


	76. Coming Out

A/N: It's me again. I thought I would try something different this time. I am going to answer a few serious questions I've gotten in PM's lately. I am not naming names… to protect the innocent… and to not point fingers.

**Are you dead?** Obviously not, I'm posting this chapter.

**When is the next chapter coming out?** Right now.

**How long does it take for you to write a chapter?** Well, it all depends. Sometimes it's quick and easy. Lately, it has been far from quick or easy. The writing process takes time. I am a perfectionist. If a chapter doesn't work for me, you (as in the readers) never see it. There have been several chapters that have been re-written because I didn't like them. They would have worked, but they didn't make my final cut. I hate to break it to everyone, but though I do take my reader's views into consideration, I write to please me. If I'm not happy, then the words never see the light of the interwebs. I can only say I will try to update a little more frequently, but I can't make any promises.

**Do you need a Beta?** I'm not overly fond of fish. I tend to kill them… accidentally of course. But in all seriousness, I don't have a Beta reader/editor OFFICIALLY… I do have someone that I look to for help when I need it (Gives Woofie a BIG hug). So, though the offers are appreciated, I really don't need one at this time. I may reconsider at a later date.

I am happy to answer any questions you toss in my direction. Even questions about the story. I will try to answer a question without giving the story away, or if you want me to explain something, I will be more than happy to answer the questions. Once again I would like to thank everyone that has continued to stay with me.

Now with all that taken care of… On with the show…

Warning: I don't own Naruto…

Chapter 76: Coming Out

The blonde groaned and opened blurry eyes to stare at his alarm clock. God it was early. Granted, it was going on 10:30 in the morning, but on his Saturday off, he liked to sleep as late as he could. It was one of those weird things. He was hoping that maybe Midoriko would remember that he didn't like waking up without Myra. The blonde groaned again and lazily rolled out of bed. It was time for yet another cold shower and training with "the guys".

The Kyuubi shivered as the cold water beat down on Naruto. _**"This is getting ridiculous. You are going to freeze death if you keep this up."**_

"_Better to freeze than do anything inappropriate."_ Naruto grumbled bitterly.

"_**Think about this logically Kit, she is Myra. She is the woman you are pining for. She is right in front of you and a good romp through the woods with her may trigger more memories than you care to admit to."**_

Naruto lightly beat his head against the wall of the shower. This was becoming one of those days when even the cold shower wasn't calming his loins. _"I want her to remember because SHE wants to remember, not because I feel like I'm going to explode if I don't..." _Naruto couldn't verbalize his thought.

"_**And you call me the horny demon..."**_ The beast chuckled.

"_I'll let you out for a little while if you shut up."_ Naruto sighed.

A large eyebrow quirked upwards. _**"You bribing me? What has this world come to?"**_ Kyuubi shook his head. _**"I'll do one better. If you let me out as a trial for a few days, I promise to stay small and insignificant taking up residency in the Garden. It will give you and I some desperately needed alone time and you will have piece of mind knowing someone is here keeping an eye on things while you're gone."**_

Naruto paused and seriously thought about it. Being alone in his head was tempting. Maybe he could find his center with out the Kyuubi clogging his thoughts. And that could possibly be a means to see Myra again. But to have someone keeping an eye on the house? That would give him the opportunity to take some of the longer missions that would pay better money. He could feel good about supporting Midoriko and Minato on his own. Not that he needed to. The small fortune Jiraiya had left to Naruto, the decent inheritance from his father, and the very nice nest egg Rai had INSISTED Midoriko take, was more than supporting them. It was a stark contrast to how he had grown up. His son would want for nothing, but Naruto would make Minato earn everything. As much as Naruto liked the house Midoriko had picked, there was a grander house closer to the Hokage building that would be perfect. There was a larger garden area and a separate dojo area to teach his children. Nartuo sighed heavily. _"You have two weeks to convince me that I can trust you."_

"_**I will behave, I can't promise anything beyond that."**_

Naruto stood up and made the seal with his hands. The slight tug on his mind allowed Naruto to breath in a sigh of relief. He was alone with no one else in his head whispering thoughts that were not his. He didn't open his eyes to see the fox that had appeared on the bathroom floor.

"_**You are beating yourself up over nothing you know. You can not change what is. The more you distance yourself from her, the longer it will take for Myra to come back."**_ The small fox sat on his delicate looking haunches.

Naruto put his head into the cold stream of water as he concentrated on the water. "Go away Kyuubi."

Kyuubi let out a sigh. _**"I can never go away. I will always be near... Like it or not."**_ The fox tip toed his way out of the bathroom and into the garden. There he would make a place for himself and leave the love sick boy to relieve his stresses in peace.

0 - 0 - 0

The Kyuubi no Kitsune, once the gigantic terror of the elemental countries, had been reduced to a ten pound terror of the Uzumaki Garden. It didn't take long for him to take possession of the area under one of the pagodas near the pond. He had not lived as a small and insignificant creature for more than a millennium. If nothing else, this would give him a chance to reconnect with nature.

The fox lifted his nose from the work he had just accomplished. He had dug the den under the pagoda a little deeper and a little wider. He could feel eyes on him staring at him. Kyuubi caught a glimpse of violet blue eyes that were watching him intently. Little hands pressed against the glass of the window and Minato sat up. Midoriko had walked up behind the boy, picked him up. The Fox started to sweat nervously when he realized that Midoriko had seen him too. Midoriko smiled and turned to walk away.

Even as Midoriko walked away, holding the babe in her arms, Kyuubi could still see the little boy watching him. There was definitely something behind those violet blue eyes that was a little unnerving, even to the fox. The fox made a mental note to visit the boy later when all was quiet in the house. He went back to his digging. There was much clatter in the house. Midoriko had been awake long before the Kyuubi stealthily escaped the bathroom. Naruto had gotten out of the shower in better spirits, but still a bit grumpy as far as the Kyuubi could tell. After all his work was done, the Kyuubi curled up under his pagoda to take a nice nap as a reward for his hard work.

0 - 0 - 0

When Naruto came out of his room, he walked into the kitchen to find Midoriko and Minato getting ready to leave the house. Midoriko was dressed in tailored purple blouse and a fitted black pencil skirt. Her hair was pulled back from her face in a bun. She looked very maternal, yet very business like. Minato seemed happy sitting in the stroller, wearing his little orange shirt, jean overalls with an embroidered spiral on his pocket on the front. He was smiling up at his mother as she tucked Mr. Fluffles in the boy's arms.

Naruto let a smirk grace his lips along with a thought that he needed to suppress quickly. He was very glad the Kyuubi was out of his head for the moment or he would have to hear more of the Fox's complaints about Naruto's state of mind. "Where are you off to this morning?" he asked from the doorway of the kitchen.

Midoriko continued to check over everything that she was taking with her. There was a large bag on the kitchen table, that seemed to be over stuffed with a myriad of baby items. "It's more like good afternoon Naruto-kun."

"I like sleeping late on Saturdays." He pouted.

Midoriko chuckled lightly. "I know and I tried to let you sleep as late as possible because you work so hard during the rest of the week."

Naruto sighed and leaned against to door jam. "So where you off to all dressed up?"

"I have an appointment in the Mission office to negotiating a shinobi contract with some friendly teenagers." She looked up from the overstuffed bag and smiled. "Then I have some shopping with Sakura-chan. What would you like for dinner?"

"I'll go with you." He stated firmly.

Midoriko frowned. "To negotiate the contract or shopping?"

"If you don't want me to go, you could just say so." Naruto shrugged.

Midoriko shook her head. "It isn't that I don't want you to go. I would like you to go." she said meekly. "But..." she looked away and paused. "Sakura-chan wanted to talk to me about something. Besides I didn't think you would want to be stuck with two gossiping women shopping for baby things and Kami knows what else."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't call it stuck so much as I would call it being a mule to carry everything."

Midoriko rolled her eyes and made a final check over her carry-all bag. "I would never treat you like a mule, although you have been acting like an ass lately." Midoriko looked up at Naruto, her eyes wide and her hand went immediately over her mouth.

The blonde narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?" His ire flared.

Tears started to well up behind chocolate orbs. Midoriko knew what it was. It was the voice in the back of her head, trying to be heard. It had been happening more and more often lately. _"You need to tell him that he's being a complete prick. If you don't tell him how all his crap is making you feel, it's just going to get worse. He needs to know DANM IT!"_

Midoriko lowered her gaze to the ground and picked up the bag. "I... I'm sorry Naruto-kun. Sometimes I don't... I can't control it."

"Can't control what?" He asked concerned.

"I don't know." She lied. "It's like there are two different thoughts going on in my mind at times. I can hear the words come out of my mouth, but they aren't mine. Or I will do something and it will be like I'm in a dream watching myself move. It happened often while I was at the Palace of the Mizukage. I would wake up in his study reading a scroll, or I would be in the library reading a book on something I know nothing about. There were many nights like that. When I woke up I would have no memory of when I got there, how I got there, why I was there, or even how long I had been there. The thoughts were never vocal until recently."

Naruto furrowed his brow in contemplation. This was something he was not aware of. If Midoriko was having black out periods, it could mean something was very wrong with both seals in her mind. Naruto was all too familiar with what two minds in one body could do. He looked up at her with more worry etched on his face. There were several possibilities, and most of them weren't happy ones. There could be something else with Madara's Kill Seal that they didn't know.

No one had come out and told Midoriko what exactly was going on. It always seemed like they treated her like a sick child with a terminal disease. They would talk about her, but never to her. The voice complained loudly from behind the closed doors. Midoriko took a deep breath and the extra noise in her head went away.

Naruto watched as Midoriko sank further into a mood that he didn't like her in. He was worried to say the least but it shouldn't be something Midoriko had to worry about. He had cause this mess, and he was going to find out how to fix it. Naruto needed to ask someone a few questions and a check of the seals didn't sound like such a bad idea. After the silence had permeated the room, Naruto stepped forward and despite his better judgement he took Midoriko in his arms and held her close. "It's gonna be okay." He rubbed circles in her back to sooth her. "Maybe you should have Ba-chan look you over. I'll even go with you." He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply. Naruto learned something from this innocent act of breathing. Midoriko smelled like a sweet summer breeze with a hint of that BLASTED soap that could bring him to his knees.

Midoriko calmed considerably and felt silly for getting upset. Naruto was holding her and all felt right with the world again. She let out a deep sigh and was about to say something when the sound of a toy clattering on the floor caught her attention. Midoriko gently pushed away from the warmth she so desperately needed. "I'll ask Lady Tsunade if she has some time in the next day or two."

"Just let me know when and I will be there." He gave her genuine smile. "Now go give the Runts a job, spend money on useless stuff, and I'm sure you'll feel better."

Naruto bent down to reach for the fallen toy and handed it back to her. She had her head down and he suspected that his concern had made her apprehensive. He handed her the set of plastic keys Minato had dropped and kept his hand on hers. "Don't worry about it Midoriko-chan. I'm sure everything will be fine."

Midoriko smiled up at him and her fears were set aside for the time being. She turned to find Minato sitting in his stroller with a nasty scowl on his face and his arms crossed in front of him. Midoriko shook her head and couldn't help a small chuckle escape her lips. "Such a fuss." She said teasingly to the boy and handed Minato the toy.

Minato snatched the toy away from his mother, keeping his nasty scowl. The ever darkening shade of blue eyes turned to his father. The little boy glared at his father as if to say _Make it better_. Naruto knew then that his son was smarter than any child his age. And a lot more aware of the world around him. Midoriko stood tall and turned to Naruto. "You never did tell me what you wanted for diner."

Naruto let out a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. "Surprise me. I'm sure what ever it is will be perfect. Now get going or you will be late, and I will never hear the end of it. I can deal with the yelling from Ba-chan... But I don't want to get yelled at by Sakura."

"See you at diner." Midoriko waved as she exited the house with Minato for the streets beyond.

Naruto waited until he was sure Midoriko wasn't coming back before he rushed out into the garden to hunt down orange fur ball.

0 - 0 - 0

Bright light startled the dozing fox and he nearly scratched out Naruto's eyes before he realized it was just Naruto being over zealous. _**"I was napping Brat."**_

"I think I like waking you up when you're in my head... You can't scratch me." Naruto rubbed at his face.

"_**What do you want?"**_ The fox grumbled and tried to replace the upturned pagoda.

Naruto replaced the pagoda on its pedestal. "Midoriko has had black out periods."

The Fox sat on his haunches, sitting up and crossing his arms with on paw on his chin in contemplation. _**"That could be bad. The Memory Seal was not designed to be permanent. It was a temporary fix to a temporary problem. I left in certain loop holes to the seal that would allow Myra to break the Seal from the inside. Madara placing the Kill Seal over the Memory Seal prevents Myra from breaking free. I need more information on what she has been doing."**_

"Sleep walking from what I can tell." Naruto shrugged.

"_**I need more than that. I need to know any details you can give me. I think it's time to have that chat with the feathers."**_ The Kyuubi nodded. _**"See if you can talk with Fish Face. He was around her the most as Midoriko. He would be able to give you a better description of Midoriko's movements."**_

Naruto nodded and stood up. "Oh... One more thing... Until we know what exactly is going on... We need to keep a very close watch on her, just in case this is something worse."

"_**As much as it pains me. I agree. For all we know Midoriko could be a ticking time bomb. I will keep a watch while you are away. In the meantime, I would be cautious of what you tell Midoriko. I wouldn't want the bomb to drop too soon."**_ The Fox stood up and stretched. There was a puff of smoke and a six foot tall, red haired human standing next to Naruto. _**"Go talk to Fish Face. I think I can take care of a few birds on my own."**_

0 - 0 - 0

The Mission Office was bustling with activity. Midoriko had actually gotten there a little earlier because of the excitement. She was still a little upset by the events of earlier in the morning, but breathing in the fresh summer air had helped her calm back to her cheery self. Shizune stepped out of the main room and smiled at Midoriko. "We're ready for you."

Midoriko had taken Minato out of his stroller because the first thing that she expected to happen... Did...

"THERE'S MY GRANDSON!" Tsunade squealed in a sing song voice very unlike a Hokage.

Midoriko relinquished possession of the boy to the over to Lady Tsunade. "Good afternoon, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade gingerly held on to Minato looking at the boy. "I'm being a grandmother at the moment so no need to be so formal." She made funny faces at the little boy which caused a few giggles and gurgles. "How has he been?"

Midoriko nodded her head side to side. "A little cranky here and there, but like you said, no harm done. He's starting to crawl all over the place. I thought about getting a gate to put up, but I am thinking that wouldn't stop him. I believe he would quickly learn to climb over the gates."

Tsunade looked up at Midoriko. "Naruto was that way. Keeping him contained was next to near impossible."

"How do you know? I thought Naruto was in an orphanage until he started the academy." Midoriko tilted her head in confusion.

The Hokage smirked. "I'm Hokage. I know everything."

Shizune shook her head. "Lady Tsunade has been reading up on some of the old reports of Naruto's infancy to be prepared for anything that should happen."

Tsunade turned to glare at Shizune. "It's more dramatic if they think I know everything."

Shizune took a step back and smiled nervously. Midoriko gazed at the blonde woman with concern. "Is there anything I should be prepared for?"

Tsunade chuckled and walked into the main meeting area. "Trouble... Lots and lots of trouble. And you're right, baby gates are useless. I would invest in a cage." Minato looked up at his surrogate grandmother and giggled. Tsunade sat down at the head of the curved table. "See he agrees with me." Tsunade smiled up at Midoriko. Minato even had a baby grin on his face.

"I appreciate the advice and I will consider it, but I don't think it's necessary. I am sure my Little One will behave." Midoriko's eyes flickered as she looked at her son. Minato immediately grabbed Tsunade's shirt and tried to hide playfully in her bountiful bosoms.

The Hokage looked down at the little boy to be met with a grin much like Naruto's. One than promised mischief and trouble ahead. Tsunade let out a chuckle. "I would still think about it."

Shizune tapped on the door lightly to signal that she was back in the room. "Team Konohamaru is here."

"Good! Send them in. Let's get this over with shall we... I have much too much to do today."

It took a moment for everyone to take their places. Minato stayed on Tsunade's lap and was making a mess of the scrolls in front of her. Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon stood proudly in front of the table, with Ebisu like a stalwart sentinel behind them. When Tsunade announced why everyone was there, she asked Midoriko to explain what she wanted. It was a simple contract. Midoriko would only need them every other day or so. She would provide lunch, dinner, or both if need be. She didn't think it would be longer than a few hours every other day, but there was a possibility for more hours should the opportunity present itself. It didn't take long for Ebisu to adjust his glasses and voice his disapproval. "Babysitting is Genin work."

Midoriko looked at Ebisu completely dejected and hurt that he would refuse such an offer of hospitality and something the teens themselves had offered to do for Midoriko not days earlier. Konohamaru glared at Ebisu for upsetting the now sniffling Midoriko. Even Udon was slightly upset that Ebisu had done something so horrible. Moegi was snickering behind her hand and trying not to laugh. When and if Myra ever snapped out of her amnesia, Moegi thought, _I am definitely going to get her to teach me that._

Ebisu nervously stepped back from all the glares aimed in his direction. He straightened his stance. "No disrespect, Ms. Ravenheart, but I still think its Genin work."

Tsunade smirked. "Ebisu, you do realize this is an exclusive contract for your team. They will be adequately compensated." The Hokage bounced Minato on her knee and turned to Midoriko. "You did say you would pay "B" rates, provide meals when necessary, and they would have access to the private library."

Midoriko nodded. "It is what I thought would be fair."

Ebisu narrowed his eyes behind his sun glasses. "What's the catch? Is the child a demon or something?"

Another round of glares were aimed in Ebisu's direction. Konohamaru punched his sensei in the arm. "BAKA!"

Midoriko blinked in confusion. It wasn't the first time someone had used the word "demon" or "demon spawn" when referring to Minato when they didn't think that she was listening. It also wasn't the first time that someone had reprimanded someone else for using the term. The voice in the back of her head raged. Midoriko shrugged it off and smiled with a fire in her eyes as she eyed Ebisu. "Minato can be a bit of a handful at times, but I wouldn't call him a demon."

There was an eerie chill that resonated through the room and everyone looked at Midoriko with a mild amount of shock. The woman in question seemed to blink again as if there had been no change. Tsunade smirked proudly as she placed the giggling infant back in his stroller.

Ebisu swallowed nervously and nodded. "I see." The jonin instructor adjusted his glasses and composed himself. "My team will be happy to accept the contract, provided it doesn't conflict with other missions of greater importance or hinder their training."

Midoriko nodded enthusiastically and bowed. "Thank you, I will need them tomorrow if possible." There was an uneasy silence as Midoriko, Ebisu and the teens signed the contract. Midoriko pushed the stroller out of the room humming a happy tune and Tsunade finally let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding.

Konohamaru walked over to the Blonde Hokage "THAT was Usagi-nechan..."

Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed. "Yes Konohamaru, I believe that was a brief glimpse of Myra getting though to the surface." The wheels started to turn in Tsunade's head. This was good news and something that should be tested again. If only she could get Naruto to see how close Myra was to the surface.


	77. Children of the Blade

A/N: Hello everyone! I thought I would give everyone a present early. Mostly because I am heading off to a convention this weekend and I will have little to NO time to be writing. Doesn't mean I won't be jotting down a few ideas when I can. Thanks to everyone that reviews. Thanks to those that read. Cookies for those that do both.

Warnings: I don't know how many times I have to say this… And I know you all hate to hear it… But I in no manner, shape, or form own Naruto.

Chapter 77: Children of the Blade

Naruto hated going to the maximum security prison deep under the ANBU Headquarters. This prison was meant for special shinobi prisoners that had to be watched or kept in a chakra depleted state in order to keep them from escaping. Myra had been kept here. They had kept her chakra depleted but it didn't stop her from pestering the guards and giving them a terrible time of it. Naruto let a smile tug at his features with the memory of her playful nature. It was something that had appealed to him in more ways than one. He came to the main desk and asked to see Kisame.

"You are the third person to come see him this week. He must know something important." The ANBU guard pushed a clip board and a small plastic box at Naruto. "Sign here and remove all weaponry."

Naruto did as he was told and didn't argue. He had tried to sneak in a small kunai the first time he was allowed to see Myra. Naruto shook his head. She had taken it from his hiding place just after the ANBU had knocked on the door to tell them the visit was over. She tossed it at the camera that was watching them. There were only a few moments before ANBU rushed the room and forced her back to her cell. But he would never forget that hungry, needy, desperate kiss that had kept him going for so long. It was the last time she had asked him to wait. It was the last time he had gotten to tell her with one word how much he loved her.

Naruto took the clip board, hurriedly scribbling his name and dropped all his weaponry into the plastic bin. Another ANBU appeared and took him down a series of dark corridors. Finally, after enough twists and turns to make anyone dizzy, they came to Kisame's cell. It was small, cold and damp. Naruto felt a little sorry for the guy, but he had done some horrible things to deserve this kind of treatment. Kisame's sentence had been relatively lenient compared to his crimes, but Tsunade had taken into consideration that Kisame had assisted in the rescue of Midoriko from the Madara and he had given them some valuable information that could potentially help in the fight against Madara.

The ANBU guard looked at Naruto. "You have fifteen minutes and don't get to close to the bars or you may pass out."

Naruto nodded and the ANBU vanished. The blonde scanned the small cell and found Kisame sitting against one of the back walls, deep in the shadows. "What do YOU want Fox boy?"

"I want to know more about Midoriko."

Kisame shrugged. "She's about five foot six, black hair, and deceptive brown eyes. How's Noodle?"

"Minato is doing fine. You have my thanks for that. But I need to know more about Midoriko's movements. How often did she sneak out?" Naruto crossed his arms.

"Oh that." The shark man stood up. "I was wondering when someone would get to that. What's in it for me if I tell you?"

Naruto shook his head. "I can't offer you anything worth wild."

Kisame smirked. "Sure you can. Think Fox boy... think..."

"I can't get you out."

"Then I got nothing to say." Kisame turned his back on Naruto.

"I can talk to Lady Tsunade." Naruto grumbled.

"Toss in some of Midoriko's tuna sashimi and I will tell you what I can."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "How would you know if it was Midoriko's sashimi?"

The shark like man shrugged. "It's the way she cuts the tuna I swear."

Naruto nooded in agreement.

Kisame glanced over his shoulder. "That's a start." Kisame turned to face Naruto. "What do you want to know?"

Naruto took in a deep breath. "Midoriko has mentioned that she's had periods of time that she can't remember. I need to know if you noticed any odd behavior, or know anything more about what Madara's seal is supposed to do."

Kisame thought for a moment. "I wouldn't call it odd behavior. I would call it trying to escape. Midoriko would sneak out of her room any chance she got. It was usually in the dead of night after I had fallen asleep. She would usually come back a few hours and sneak back into her rooms. I didn't even notice until she was caught by Madara the first time. She made it all the way out of the palace and was half way to the border before she was caught. That was the day I had to chase Sasuke out of Mist. The way she tells the story, she doesn't remember much before getting past the last set of sentries at the main gate of the palace. When Midoriko was bandaging my wounds from the beating I took from Madara, she said she had a strong urge to leave.

"She didn't want cause trouble for anyone, so she never ventured outside the palace again. However it didn't stop her from exploring the palace and doing Kami knows what else. Most of the time I would find her in the Library with a book on various jutsu in her lap. There were a few times I would find her slightly confused and heading back to her room. In that last two months before we left Mist, she snuck out on the first, again on the fifteenth and came back confused. But the other times, she was sneaking out to the kitchens fully aware of the world around her."

"Is that all you can think of?" Naruto kept his studious glare.

Kisame shrugged. "That's all there is. Except maybe one other thing, Madara never touched her. He couldn't. After he placed the Kill Seal it was his intention to take her as his, but anytime he got near Midoriko with that intention, she would faint and go into convolutions. I suspected that somehow, Myra was trying to tell him that she would rather die, than let him touch her."

Naruto dropped his fists to his sides. He still didn't want to believe ANYONE would want to hurt Myra like that. But this just confirmed his worst fears. "Did anyone else try?"

"Are you crazy? There were a few guys in the palace that disappeared after getting too chatty with her. I know… I was my job to dispose of them. They probably ended up in Sound for Kabuto to play with." The shark man sighed. "There's another freak I should have killed when I had the chance."

Naruto let a satisfied smirk pass his current stoic exterior. As much as he didn't really like Kisame, he had kept Myra safe from other men with more lecherous intents. The ANBU guard came into sight and signaled that the visit was over. "I will send some sashimi when I have the chance."

"You do that, and say hello to Noodle, will ya?" Kisame walked back to the shadows of his cell.

Naruto nodded and made a beeline to the Hokage's office.

0 - 0 - 0

Kyuubi stood in his cursed human form. His arms were crossed and his jaw was set in a scowl. Two very large ravens were perched before him, their heads bowed. _**"There is no excuse for this."**_

Poe sighed. _"The decision was Myra's to make. She knew of the dangers and chose to ignore the possibilities. She also did not know she was with child until it was too late."_

"_**Explain."**_

Poe glanced to Edgar. The larger black bird ruffled his feathers. _"Myra is aware of the seal and can not effect Midoriko in a conscience way. Myra is little more than an annoying voice with in her own mind."_

"_**That still does not excuse why the two of you, charged with the protection and guidance of the Ravenheart clan, did not make anyone aware that Myra was still alive."**_ The tall man started to pace around the two ravens. _**"It is a task given to you long ago and I have been very please with your performance, until now."**_

Edgar hung his head, knowing that this situation could have been avoided had Myra simply listened to begin with. _"Myra is stubborn and did not wish to endanger anyone but herself. When she realized she was pregnant we urged her to allow us to inform Naruto. However, she wished to continue with her plan. We did as we were asked. The pact made was that we would not alert anyone she was alive until she thought she was truly in mortal danger. She knew she was in trouble when Minato said he couldn't wait any longer."_

Kyuubi took a deep breath. _**"I am not concerned with what Myra wanted to do when it comes to this half planned idea of hers. I am most concerned with the two of you failing to the duties of Spirit guides. You should have talked her out of it."**_

"_We did not fail in our duties. We kept watch on her as she instructed. The Laws state that we can not interfere in the path that our mortals take. We warned her of the dangers. We tried to make her see that this was not the path she should take. But it is the path she chose to walk. We performed the final check as Myra insisted. We were a little late, agreed, but the plan was to wait as long as possible so Myra could get as much information as possible."_ Edgar sighed.

The Ethereal Lord crossed his arms. _**"Go on."**_

Poe looked at Edgar before she continued. _"Myra knew it was a trap."_

"_**We all knew it was a trap, we just didn't know what kind it was."**_

"_Yes, but Myra set a trap of her own. She figured Hiashi was behind the council, and she knew Madara had killed the councilman. She hadn't figured out why. Hiashi wanting her executed didn't make any sense. So she theorized that it was a way to get her out of the village. Whilst in the walls of Konoha she was safe. Madara no longer has the backing of shinobi powerful enough the pose a challenge to Konoha, let alone a jinchuriki hell bent on Myra's protection. I ask you, who suggested the idea to seal her memories and in the process suppress her chakra?"_ Edgar seemed to smirk with this knowledge.

"_**It was just shortly after the second half of the trial. The evidence the Hyuuga bastard was hanging on pertained to the jutsu used to kill the councilman. Naruto mentioned to Myra that everything would be different if she had never learned that jutsu. A few days later, she... SHE..."**_ The Kyuubi blinked for a moment and then slapped his forehead rather hard. _**"That vixen!"**_

"_Naruto gave Myra the beginning of the idea. When she had completely concocted the plan, Rai-sama was already planning an escape and was ready to break all ties with Konoha. The girl needed that connection with Konoha to continue if her plan was going to have a chance of working. So, Myra did something she had never done before."_ Poe hung her head. _"She used her Sharingan to wipe her father's mind and made him believe that the Memory Seal would be a viable option. If Madara was going to take her after she left the village, Myra would use the personality of Midoriko to infiltrate Madara's base of operations and discover his plans. If Myra made it safely back to the Americas, she would break the Memory Seal from the inside, and go after Madara in secret. Myra could not have foreseen Madara placing the Kill Seal to keep her docile and complacent, but it worked to her advantage."_

"_**I am impressed by how far Myra planned this little intrigue. Please, continue."**_The Kyuubi smirked.

Edgar lifted his head proudly. _"When Midoriko was taken, we had instructions to follow and report back to Tsunade when the time came."_

"_**I don't see why she had to use the guise of Midoriko to infiltrate Madara's safe haven."**_

"_Myra would have been held as a prisoner and not allowed any freedoms. As Midoriko she was allowed the freedoms to roam all over the palace. She was allowed anywhere she wanted to go, including Madara's private study. The last time we were able to speak with Myra, she had information on what Madara was planning, as well as the location of the statue containing the seven sealed Biju. There were two things that Myra mentioned before the final connection was broken. Sound had to be destroyed at all costs and Sasuke HAD to bring Itachi back to Konoha for safety."_

_The Kyuubi scratched his chin. __**"I will have to let Naruto know as quickly as possible. Knowledge, have you determined how to remove the Kill Seal yet?"**_

"_The only way for BOTH seals to be removed with out irrevocable damage is for Myra to die."_ The large raven grinned knowingly.

"_**I will not kill her, nor will allow her to die in the process of removing the seals."**_

Poe's soft voice gave no comfort. _"Unfortunately Lord, her death will be her salvation."_

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto and the Kyuubi nearly ran over each other looking for each other. It was the Kyuubi who decided that a trip to speak with the Tsunade was extremely important. They had both entered the Hokage's office and nearly scared her out of her chair.

"When did you start letting the Kyuubi out?" Tsunade looked at Naruto like he had grown a second head.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I wanted some time alone in my own head for a change. Is that such a horrible thing?" He had met Kyuubi half way to the Hokage's office. The Kyuubi had quickly explained he had some news, as did Naruto. It was the Kyuubi's idea to go to Tsunade and let their little secret out.

Tsunade stared at the blonde for a few moments in complete shock. She shook her head, clearing it of all the things that could have gone wrong while the Kyuubi was running around free to do as he pleased. "You let the Kyuubi no Kitsune out of the seal for some time alone in your own head. I understand the need for privacy, Naruto, but this is the Kyuubi no Kitsune we're talking about."

"_**Yes, I would appreciate it if you didn't speak about me as if I weren't in the room. And I would have you know that theoretically I am not out of my cage. I am still very much trapped in that blonde whelp over there."**_The human Kyuubi pulled his long sleeves back to show the Hokage the large shackles, imprinted with the seal around his wrists. _**"I am still bound to the Brat. I have merely taken possession of one of his clones. If I were truly flesh and blood, I would have destroyed this office by now simply for spit."**_He growled.

Naruto grunted his disapproval and glared at the Kyuubi. "Get to the point Fuzz Ball, or I put you back in the sewers were you belong."

The Kyuubi rolled his feral eyes. _**"Simply put, Myra is aware of what is going on around Midoriko. According to the ravens, Midoriko had unhindered access to Madara's palace. Myra, from her prison with in Midoriko's subconscious, used that access to gain information on Madara's plans for world domination. Myra was unable to convey anything that would be of help. What Myra WAS able to tell the ravens doesn't make any sense, not to me anyway."**_

Tsunade blinked in confusion at the Kyuubi. "And just what did Myra tell the ravens?"

"_**Destroy Sound and move Itachi to Konoha."**_

Naruto stared at the Kyuubi for a moment. "I thought Itachi was dead."

Kyuubi closed his eyes in frustration. _**"Apparently not, but I would ask the Uchiha bastard that question. And now if you will excuse me… I have something else I would like to be doing… Like continuing my nap."**_ There was a puff of smoke and the small fox ran out of Tsunade's office.

There was a pause as Tsunade processed all the information put before her. She would need to contact Shikamaru to start a strategy in taking out Otogakure. She would need to contact Gaara and the other Kage's, or at lest the Kage's that mattered, to let them know they should NOT be expecting an invasion. She needed to get a list of all the available ninja in the village and get as many volunteers as she possibly could. Tsunade had to make sure the water bill was paid just incase the Kyuubi went on a rampage. The Hokage glared when she realized there was going to be a crap load of paperwork. "YOU LET THE KYUUBI OUT?!"

Naruto shrugged. "I have my reasons." The boy answered flippantly.

"When I went along with the idea that you and the Kyuubi would be getting along and working together, I had no idea that THIS would be the result."

Naruto growled in annoyance. "I don't expect you to understand anything. I expect you to trust me for once. The Kyuubi has a grudge to settle with Madara, just like the rest of us. He has a stake in this fight, just like the rest of us. Be glad he's on our side this time around."

The Hokage sighed and sat back in her chair. "IF... and I stress that word... IF you can control..."

Naruto glared daggers at Tusnade. "I can't control him. I've never been able to control him. I've never WANTED to control him. We have a common enemy and common goals at the moment. That is all we have and that is the only thing keeping him from destroying everything around him."

Tsunade hid the smirk and kept her emotionless stare. "Common goals and common enemies' aside, I can't trust the Kyuubi."

Naruto shook his head and started to walk out of her office. "I didn't ask you to trust him. I asked you to trust me. Let me worry about Fluffles."

Tsunade realized that she would have to trust Naruto with the safety of the village at some point. Now would have to be the time. However, hearing the Nine Tailed Fox named something so silly, she couldn't contain the chuckle. "Fluffles?"

"Midoriko gave Minato the nine tailed fox plushy toy and named it Mr. Fluffles." Naruto smiled with the memory of the day he had won it for Myra. "Kyuubi made such a big deal about being remembered as something cute and fluffy." Naruto stood up straight and did his best to impersonate the Kyuubi. **"I should be FEARED! Roar..."** He laughed and shook his head. "The Kyuubi agreed to stay small and inconspicuous in the garden. He won't hurt anyone unless they threaten Midoriko or Minato, so don't worry too much."

"Naruto, just keep this between us for now. If it became common knowledge that the Kyuubi was out, even with the limited freedom he has, it could turn ugly, more for anyone trying to attack him, but I don't want to have to explain it to the council."

Naruto let out a sigh. "I know. I didn't want to tell anyone because of that reason." He put his hand on the door.

"Naruto," Tsunade frowned. He turned to give her his full attention. "I will have to have our spy network look into Sound. I can't justify an act of war without provocation. The word of the Kyuubi wouldn't go over very well."

"I understand. I may not like it, but I understand it. We have to know if it's just other one of Madara's traps. I wouldn't want to go into Sound with out some clarification. Just like you say, we can't justify an act of war with provocation. We don't know what's going on over there. There have been a few things I have come to realize in the last month or so. I want to protect my precious people. But I also want to see my precious people grow up and surpass me. Charging in head first without a sensable plan would be suicide. When it was just me I was worrying about, that was fine. No one got hurt but me. I know what it's like to grow up without a family. I'm not going to let that happen to my son. With that said, Teme will be the best person to give us any information on Sound." Naruto had a serious tone to his voice.

Tsunade smirked. "You sound like your father." _I know he would be proud of you_. She wanted to finish. The blonde boy smiled fondly and started nearly walked out the door. "Oh, Naruto..."

Naruto rolled his eyes and looked back into her office. "What now?"

"I need you to bring Midoroko into the hospital on Monday afternoon. I want to run a few tests. I have an idea."

0 - 0 - 0

Sasuke was reading over his daily reports from ANBU headquarters and the newly re-established Konoha Police Force when there was a blonde annoyance standing at the doorway of his office. "Don't you ever go home?"

"Hn."

"So you're hiding again." Naruto smirked.

"Hn." Sasuke moved some papers aside. He might as well clear the rest of his afternoon. This was going to be one of those days where he got rid himself of a little stress.

Naruto shrugged. "You know that Sakura comes to me when you're acting like an ass."

"What?" Sasuke looked up and glared.

"Well you know how it goes… We do have feeling for each other ya know. Are you sure the baby is yours?" Naruto smirked.

Sasuke's eye twitched in annoyance. "What do you want dobe?"

Naruto thought it would be good to leave it there, but he couldn't help himself. "At least she isn't going to Sai."

Sasuke stood up and intensified his glare at Naruto. "She is shopping dobe." He growled out through clenched teeth. "…with the Crazy Bitch and the little dobe, if I am not mistaken."

The blonde narrowed his eyes. "That's Midoriko and Minato…"

"Good… You've touched my nerve… I've touched your nerve… Can we step outside and get too this?" The Uchiha grinned.

"Absolutely."

0 – 0 – 0

_Somewhere in one of the many secret labs of Sound_

Madara stood in front of the large vat. A figure floated ominously attached to tubes and other wires in a translucent green liquid. "I see you have solved your maturation problem."

A hooded man walked into the dim glow of the row of monitors situated beside the tube. "It is still taking longer than I would like, but two weeks is as quickly as I can have one grown and programmed for your purposes."

"You have done well Kabuto. When will you have my team ready?"

"This one is ready to be released from stasis Lord Madara. The rest of the team will be ready for animation with in the next day." Kabuto pulled a lever and the chamber in front of Madara began to drain. "I hope she is to your liking."

Madara watched the liquid drain from the tank and the figure slowly sank to the bottom. When the creature touched the bottom, all but one wire disengaged from the body. There was a jolt of electricity and the last wire slipped from its connection at the base of her spine. The woman started to breath. Black soulless eyes blinked open to stare at Madara. She stood on wobbly legs and continued her stare at Madara.

The old man grinned beneath his mask. The glass walls of the cylindrical vat let out a hiss of air releasing the seal before it lifted above the naked woman's form. The old man ogled Kabuto's mastery of genetics. She was perfect. Her build was slender and lean. She had the long black hair and the pale complexion he Madara had requested. Her breasts sat at attention on her chest, not to large to impede her movements, but not so small they were barely there. She was everything the old man wanted, but had the mad scientist managed to remove her stubbornness. "Who do you serve?" He commanded her.

"I serve Madara." Her voice was like silk, though raspy from its first use.

Madara grinned. "What is your purpose?"

"To destroy his enemies." Her eyes were still empty and cold.

"And so you shall… Nakamiko… So you shall." Madara was pleased as punch. "Kabuto… I want the rest of her team training as quickly as possible."

Kabuto gave Madara a curt bow. "Yes, Madara-sama." Kabuto went to wrap the naked girl in a towel as Madara faded into the shadows. Nakamiko was the first of his clones to survive and there were many more in the tubes waiting to be animated. A few of his assistants came from the shadows to take the girl off to her room and get her dressed. Kabuto walked to a large container at the end of his lab and removed his hood, staring at the reflection in the green viscous fluid. One grey human eye and one slitted eye of a snake stared back at him. He lifted his hand to touch the flawless glass of the vat. _Soon my Lord Orochimaru… Soon I will not need this fool. I am almost finished and you will be whole once again._

0 – 0 – 0

A/N #2: Had a question… Would it be easier if I reposted the story combining chapters to make them longer? Will have the poll up for a vote.


	78. Fighting the Inevitable

I don't own Naruto.

**Chapter 78: Fighting the Inevitable**

Word spread quickly that the Uchiha and the Uzumaki were sparing near the dojo. Naruto sparing with anyone else would hold back. Sasuke wouldn't spar with anyone else. From the outside looking in, one would really think they were trying to kill each other.

The truth was easier to see. Neither one was holding anything back, but both intentionally botched the timing on their moves, so a jutsu would miss. Lightening, flames, and hurricane force winds prevailed through the clearing that was now a little wider. To the passer by, it might as well have been a hurricane.

After about two hour of going full out on each other and a well timed (or not) upper cut to Sasuke's jaw, Naruto was picking Sasuke up by the shoulder. "You're out of shape Teme."

"Hn." The Uchiha snorted. "Damn desk duty."

"When are you gonna be able to go on some real missions?" The blonde waited until Sasuke caught his breath.

"Another month or two, I think. Until Sayuki is born, I'm playing dutiful and loving husband." Sasuke grumbled.

Naruto raised an eyebrow before he let go of Sasuke and allowed him to hit the ground with a hard thud. "You insensitive ass."

"It isn't as bad as I make it sound." Sasuke winced as he moved into a more comfortable position leaning up against the wall of the dojo. Naruto took a seat next to his best friend and the sat in silence for a few moments until Naruto broke the silence.

"What happened to Itachi?" Naruto couldn't think of a better way to bring it up.

Sasuke decided a spot on the ground was a more interesting to look at. "He's taken care of."

"Yes, I got that part. Tell me how you took care of him." Naruto looked over at Sasuke.

Sasuke closed his eyes and put his head back against the wall of the dojo. "He can't do anything to anyone. Let's just leave it at that."

Naruto shook his head. "I wish I could leave it at that Sasuke."

The Uchiha's attention was brought back to reality by the use of his name. There were many people that used his name, but Naruto didn't call Sasuke anything but Teme unless he was serious. It was in those even rarer occasions that Sasuke knew he had pissed off his blonde friend when Naruto would spit the name "Uchiha" in Sasuke's general direction. Sasuke regarded Naruto with a blank expression. "Hn."

"It's important Teme." Naruto knew he had gotten Sasuke's attention. "One of the last things Myra was able to tell anyone was to get Itachi back to Konoha."

This did interest Sasuke to no end. He had always wondered how Myra had known Itachi was still alive, if you could call being confined to a bed alive. But more importantly, the Uchiha wanted to know what else the Crazy Bitch had to say. "Was there anything else in her message?"

"Yeah, she said we should destroy Sound at all costs. We don't know why yet, which is why Ba-chan is going to do some digging before we plan anything." The both sat in silence while deep in their own thoughts.

Sasuke smirked momentarily. He had no love for Kabuto or the Sound Village. The land was pretty much uninhabited except for the plethora of secret laboratories. Each lab held a prison where Orochimaru kept the wayward ninja that happened to stumble into the wrong place at the wrong time or the normal people Orochimaru experimented on. Some were able to walk away unharmed. Then there were those unlucky souls that were trapped in the labyrinth of tunnels hidden beneath the labs. Orochimaru had dozens of labs. Sasuke knew where most of them were. There was only one other person, save Kabuto or Orochimaru, that knew where each and every one of the secret bases were. And Sasuke hadn't or didn't want to think about her… at all… ever again. But unfortunately a search for Karin and the other two members of his escape party may become necessary.

It was Sasuke's turn to break the silence. He let out a long hard breath. "Removing Sound from the map would be beneficial to life as we know it."

"That didn't answer the question of what happened to Itachi." Naruto prodded one last time before he would try a violent approach.

"Itachi is at a hospital not far from here. He was fine the last time I saw him. He isn't going anywhere I made sure of that."

"That isn't the point Teme… You need to move him to Konoha."

"It isn't that simple. He doesn't belong here." Sasuke stood up and started to walk away.

Naruto was hot on his heels. "Sasuke, you can't keep living in the past. Are you afraid that he's gonna get up and kill Sakura?"

Naruto didn't know how accurate he was. Sasuke rounded on Naruto. "I can protect Sakura." The Uchiha spat furiously.

"Then what are you so worried about?!" The blonde yelled back just as angrily.

Sasuke blinked. What was it that he was so worried about? It wasn't like Itachi was going to get up and start walking again. Even if Itachi did get up and start walking again, it wasn't like he could see anything to hurt anyone. And wasn't it Itachi that told Sasuke about Madara? There were too many questions resonating in Sasuke's mind. "I'll think about it." Sasuke continued on his way back to his house.

Naruto hardened his expression. "Tsunade knows. You may not have a choice in the matter."

Just what Sasuke wanted to hear. "Hn. I will deal with that when the time comes. In the meantime, when the Crazy Bitch can tell me herself, that I need to bring Itachi back to his home, I will consider it again. But until then, Itachi isn't going anywhere."

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto knocked and waited for several minutes. After the second time he knocked and Midoriko didn't answer the door, he pulled his keys from his pack and unlocked the door. He dropped his keys on the side table next to the door and ventured into the living room. Seeing the mound of bags from different stores, a few open and empty boxes, and Minato playing in the rather large play pen, Naruto found him self very glad he had not gone shopping with Midoriko.

Minato was rolling around amongst his newly acquired stuffed friends and a few other toys. Naruto didn't bother with the boy. He seemed happy playing by himself. The blonde ventured into the kitchen to find mounds of groceries. By this time, he was VERY glad he hadn't gone shopping with the women, but found himself oddly curious how Midoriko managed to get all this stuff back to the house.

Down the hallway he could hear rustling in Midoriko's room. At first he honestly was going to knock and let her know he was home. The door was slightly open, probably to hear if Minato needed her. Naruto could very much understand, and appreciate her momentary want for privacy. One blue eye squinted through the sliver of opening in the doorway. Midoriko was standing with her back to the door, in nothing more than a very lacy black bra and matching black lace "t" back high cut panties. She had just finished adjusting the clasp on the back of the bra when she turned to look in the full length mirror situated in the corner of her room.

Naruto's mouth gaped open and he was nearly drooling. It was at this moment, Naruto noticed the black lace of the bra and panties had a decorative edge in orange that faded to black. When he had first met Myra, her skin was a honey color. Now that Midoriko had kept out of the sun her skin was a rich porcelain cream color. It made her look even more exotic than before. She stood in front of the mirror as if scrutinizing every flaw she could find. She shrugged and bent over to pick something off the floor, exposing her very nice assets to the ogling Naruto.

Midoriko slipped on her new purple shorts and had her head half way through the neck of her grey t-shirt when she heard a loud *THUD* outside her door. She pulled on her shirt the rest of the way. She swung open her door and almost tripped over Naruto. One of Minato's bouncy balls was rolling down the other end of the hallway. Poor Naruto was splayed face down and twitching on the floor of the hallway. "OH! Naruto-kun! Are you ok?" she asked concerned. She seriously thought she had found all of the bouncy balls, afraid that this exact situation may occur. Midoriko bent down to try and help the blond get up.

Naruto lifted his hand in a "thumbs up", keeping his face plastered to the floor. Midoriko heard a muffled, "I'm okay."

She knelt beside him. "Are you sure? Anything broken?"

"Besides my pride?" He mumbled darkly before he started to get up.

Midoriko stood up and was looking over him with concern. "If you're sure…"

"I'm fine." He snapped through gritted teeth.

The woman stepped back and seemed to be disappointed about something. "Would you even tell me if something were wrong?"

Naruto had no answer for that. The blonde let out a deep sigh and calmed his frustrations, not well, but he calmed them none the less. "I'm not hurt from falling on my face. I should watch were I am walking. I was a little… distracted."

Midoriko could hear the voice in the back of her mind roaring with laughter. It was odd to hear the voice laughing. Midoriko shook of the sound of laughter echoing in her ears and sighed. "I should be more careful to pick up all of Little One's toys."

_Note to self: Close eyes when passing her open door._ Naruto thought, bitterly disappointed in the idea. "Agreed." He stood up and groaned a little. "Now I think I am going to need a quick shower before dinner." He stretched out his back and they both heard several pops.

Midoriko hissed at the sound. "You need someone to scrub your back?" She asked innocently enough, though the idea hadn't been hers. It wasn't such a bad idea. Actually, it sounded like a wonderful idea.

Naruto's eyes went comically wide. The sudden lack of blood to his brain, on his shoulders, made him light headed and unable to put together a few simple words to make a coherent sentence. "I… uh… shower…" _very cold shower_ "alone…" He nodded slowly.

Midoriko's eyes became a smoldering shade of brown. "You don't have to."

Naruto's fortitude slipped for a brief moment and he put his hand on her cheek. He wanted to pull her in to a deep embrace and hold her there not ever letting go. Her skin was so soft in his hand. He wanted to feel if the rest of her was still as soft as he remembered. Naruto closed his eyes and tried to briefly search out the energy Myra generated. He could feel it thrumming just beneath her skin, scratching to get to the surface. He felt her hand press his own to her cheek. The blonde thought for a brief moment that the Kyuubi could be right. But then again, somewhere in the back of his mind, now hollow from the absence of the Kyuubi, he felt like he would be betraying Myra with her twin sister. His heart took possession of his libido and the ache subsided. His resolve reestablished he pulled her close, putting his forehead to hers. "Yes… I do." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I will be out by dinner."

He turned away from Midoriko, letting his hand linger a second longer and then walked into the master bedroom. The door shut with a click of finality. Midoriko stood in the hallway feeling strange and disoriented. She blinked again and wondered why there was a very warm spot on her cheek, along with the dampness of tears. There was a sense of sadness floating around her consciousness and the voice was sobbing somewhere in the darkness in her mind. Midoriko couldn't understand the reasons she was sad. It was a deep sadness that seemed to pull at her chest. She heard the sounds of Naruto's shower start running and she remembered what she was doing before Naruto had tripped on the bouncy ball. "Diner… Right… Oh… Minato…" She turned and exited the hallway to the living area. Minato was still sitting among his stuffed animals, playing what ever games he was playing, and not making a sound.

0 – 0 – 0

Midoriko was making lunch for her new sitters, feeling a little nervous about her first day. She couldn't remember going to school, or training, or anything really. So she didn't have any basis to understand why she was so nervous. Naruto hadn't made her nervousness any better. At breakfast he seemed more distant than usual. He had kept staring at her with a longing in his eyes that tugged at her heart strings. Midoriko sighed deeply. She wanted to know what the blonde was thinking. She wanted to know how to help, but everything she had tried had ended in disaster. He would retreat to his room and shower or run off to train with one of his friends. Sometimes he would do both. This morning he had announced that he would probably be gone for a few days.

She hadn't been alone in the house at night yet. Not that she was scared of anything, because there was a sense that she was safe in the house, even while Naruto was gone. It was odd really. It was something she didn't quite understand. She looked out the kitchen window to the garden. Midoriko couldn't see the REAL Mr. Fluffles sleeping under the pagoda, but knowing he was there made her feel better. She gazed out into her garden, wondering what had brought the fox to her garden. It didn't bother Midoriko he was there. She smiled contentedly and finished the last batch of her fried shrimp.

Midoriko had finished lunch preparations for everyone and set to work arranging one last plate. Actually it was more of a bowl. She knew it might be a bad thing to feed a wild animal table scraps. But she wanted to encourage the fox to stay. He was such a scrawny creature, surely feeding him wouldn't hurt that much. The woman of the house walked the bowl of shelled shrimp, left over rice, chicken and other veggies out into the garden. She tried to walk as quietly out to the garden as she could.

The fox had been asleep for most of the morning. He had snuck into the house late last night and checked on the little boy that was very much in his thoughts lately. Minato was just a baby as far as the Kyuubi could tell. There was something very special about the child. That much was clear. For a boy of his age, he already had a well developed chakra network and it was going to grow and develope even more. With the right training and a patient sensei, Minato would be a brilliant shinobi before the age of ten. The Kyuubi smirked sleepily from under his pagoda. Myra would have to enlighten the great beast how she managed that little trick of genetics, but Myra was still trapped behind two potent Seals that prevented her from communicating with the outside world.

He had spent the rest of his night pouring over a few of the books in the library. The Kyuubi felt a bit stupid for having to actually read something. The power to change the landscape with a single swipe of one his tails, and he had to read a book to possibly find a way to release Myra from her prison. It was either read a book, or call upon the Fowl-Know-It-All… A little hurt pride was easier to deal with than a gloating spirit of knowledge.

The fox felt Midoriko come out in the garden. She was easy to sense and she always smelled heavenly. There was that lingering scent of cherries, jasmine, peaches and a warm summer's breeze. It reminded the Kyuubi of Miyako. She had a smell very similar, but distinctly different. He couldn't help but remember his lost love and how her scent changed ever so delightfully after mating with her. Miyako would exude his scent of power softened by her own gentleness. Myra had been that way too. She would smell like Naruto's strength tempered by her tenderness.

Naruto's scent was gone from Midoriko, except for a faint trace still on her. _Probably from doing his laundry_, thought the Kyuubi. She also smelled of food and nervousness. She was starting her training today, so it was natural for her to be a bit nervous. "I brought you something." She said very quietly, not coming passed the decking around the garden. "I will just leave it here by the door for you."

Midoriko smiled when the fox came out from under the pagoda and stretched. The fox kept an eye on the woman, sitting on his haunches. He didn't dare go any closer just yet. He was supposed to play a skittish wild fox, not the King of Demons that wasn't afraid of anything. She watched him as much as he was watching her. He looked regal for as small as he was. Midoriko may not have been able to feel the power he exuded, but she could tell the fox was special. The woman slowly put the bowl of food on the deck next to the door and stood up. She leveled another charming smile at the fox and bowed. "I am happy you have decided we are worthy of your presence. I will allow you safety within the walls of our home. No harm will come to you here, I promise you this. In return, I hope you will stay and watch over my family."

The Kyuubi no Kitsune straightened his back and put on a proud show. He hadn't been treated with such dignity and respect deserving of his title of King of Demons or Lord of the Ethereal in a very long time. Finally! Someone that knew who they were dealing with, even if Midoriko didn't really know what or who the Kyuubi was it still inflated the fox's ego to believe it. The fox inclined his head to show her, he would agree to her terms. Midoriko smiled and stepped back into the house, giving the so called wild fox his space to eat. The doorbell rang with urgency and Midoriko shut the door, heading off to answer the summons.

The fox padded over to the bowl to investigate his meal. It was a mishmash of left over items from the lunch she had prepared for the trio of invaders arriving at the moment. He was happy with it. It tasted sweet and a bit spicy, just like he liked it. Being small and insignificant wasn't such a bad thing after all, especially if he was going to be treated to left over table scraps from Midoriko's cooking.

0 – 0 – 0

"You three, are very late." Midoriko said, glaring at the three cowering teens.

Konohamaru twisted his foot guiltily. "I'm sorry Midoriko-chan, it's just there was this old lady… and her cat. I hate that stupid cat."

Moegi shook her head. "I think everyone hates that cat."

"AAAACHHHUUU… I'm allergic to cats." Udon sniffled into a handkerchief.

Moegi rolled her eyes and Konohamaru ran a hand down his face in exasperation. Midoriko chuckled lightly. "Well I was worried that you guys had forgotten." She stepped aside and invited them in the house. Shoes were shucked at the door and she led them into the kitchen. "I made lunch as promised. Minato is still down for his nap and should be there for a little while longer. He has two bottles in the fridge that should be warmed slightly first before giving them to him. Give him the first bottle after he wakes up from his nap. He's usually REALLY hungry when he wakes up. And I should be home by the time he wants the second one."

They entered the kitchen and three sets of eyes expanded to diner plates. There was enough to feed the three of them for days. "I didn't know what everyone would want, so I took some guesses, added a few things that I like, a few things Naruto-kun seems to like, and then added some fried shrimp just to be on the safe side."

Konohamaru looked up at Midoriko with large watery eyes. "Midoriko-chan, you're the best sister EVER!"

Udon was looking over the mass amount of food. "I think I'm actually going to enjoy this assignment."

Moegi shook her head. "The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"Actually, it's under the second rib on the left side at an upward angle." The trio turned to stare at Midoriko, slightly shocked by her statement. The woman in question blinked. Then she let out a sigh, shrugging at her own comment. "Sometimes I don't know where it comes from, but lately these odd comments just fall out of my mouth. I told Naruto-kun just the other day he was being silly in a rather rude manner."

Konohamaru laughed at her heartily while piling his plate full of different things. "It's okay Midoriko-chan it just means that you are remembering something. That's good isn't it?"

"Besides, Naruto-niisan is silly." Moegi giggled. Her plate was nearly full of veggies and a smattering of cookies.

Udon was fixing himself a plate of fried shrimp. "Let's not forget that what Midoriko-chan said was biologically accurate."

Konohamaru smacked Udon slightly. It wasn't really that hard, but it was hard enough for Udon to rub his arm. "That isn't the point here." Konohamaru snapped.

Midoriko smiled. "I will take your word for it. Regardless of what it is, be it a memory of my past exploits or an interesting fact I read somewhere, I'm sure it will come in handy eventually. Now I am going to head out now. I should be back in a few hours. Don't worry about the kitchen. I will clean that up when I get back." She gave the three a distinctive "mom" glare. "However, any other mess the three of you make WILL be cleaned up by the time I get home. IS. THAT. CLEAR?"

Three heads snapped to attention. "YES MA'AM!" they answered in unison.

The woman softened her gaze. "The phone numbers are on the fridge just in case."


	79. A Night Out

A/N: Standard warnings apply.

**Chapter 79: A Night Out**

Midoriko laid in the grass outside the dojo. She laid there for longer than Lee thought she needed to be. She was still breathing, and that, as far as Lee was concerned, was a good thing. It meant he hadn't hit her too hard. "Please get up Midoriko-chan."

Midoriko opened her eyes and kept staring up at the sky. It was yet another day of training. It wasn't that she didn't like the training, because she did. It was just that in the two months of training nothing had changed. She was still Midoriko. Although there had been a few flashes of memory, there was no significant change. Lee had started the training with simple stretching and stamina exercises. It was easy enough for Midoriko to master. Lee explained it as muscle memory. Midoriko's mind may not have remembered anything about her years of training, but her body did.

Soon Lee was teaching her a series of katas. Once again Lee was amazed by Midoriko's mastery of the movements with in hours. By the first month, Midoriko had started an every day routine. She would get up with Minato at the crack of dawn for a morning jog with Lee. She never went to the extremes of five hundred laps around the village. Midoriko kept it to a measly five laps. Or at least Lee considered it measly. He didn't think she should really be doing more, but Lee thought it might be a way to encourage a competitive spirit. Midoriko would go back home and continue her day of house cleaning and cooking before the Trio would knock on the door ready for lunch.

Lee had recently insisted they start practice sparing. They started at a snails pace, with Lee telling Midoriko what he was going to do next. She was supposed to counter his moves. If he punched, she blocked. If she kicked, he'd block. That seemed simple enough. The disconnection was found when Lee started to move faster and not tell Midoriko how he was going to strike next. He hadn't hit her hard enough to produce more than a sore shoulder and a bruise, but Midoriko ended up on the floor of the dojo in a tangle of her own limbs.

Her body had tried to react on it's own to the strike, but Midoriko's mind had wanted to block in a different way. For the most part, they had discovered Midoriko had a lack of coordination. She could not get her mind and body to work in harmony when it came to fighting. Lee suspected more than a disconnection between mind and body. Midoriko seemed happy enough, but he knew differently. Naruto was gone more often than not, and although Midoriko wouldn't say it bother her, Lee knew that it bothered her deeply.

The green clad ninja had gotten to know Midoriko. She was a lot more closed lipped than he expected. Myra had been extremely conversational and quick witted. Midoriko seemed to be far away thinking about other things. Lee had wondered if Midoriko had even wanted to be training.

"_It is what everyone expects me to be doing. So I am giving it my best in the hopes that it will return some of my memories to me." Midoriko smiled at Lee and continued her stretching._

Lee realized that her heart wasn't in the training. She was doing it because it pleased the others around her. He had watched how people treated her. Naruto was ignoring her. Sasuke talked to Midoriko only when he had too. Sakura was at least trying to make her feel wanted. Tsunade seemed to talk to Midoriko like a child most of the time. Rai-sama, well he acted like the over protective father he was.

Just once, Lee wanted to see Midoriko say something to someone other than him. But she never did. She accepted her fate at being second best. She had accepted her status as the shadow of her former self. And it infuriated Lee that she had essentially given up to this fate she was making for herself. "Are you going to continue to lie there and pretend that I knocked you unconscious?"

Midoriko let out a sigh. "Not forever, no. I was just admiring the clouds as they rolled by."

"And wondering no doubt what Naruto-kun is doing?" Lee smirked.

She sat up and continued to stare at the fluffy clouds. "He's on an important mission as usual. He should be back in a few days. Not that I will get to see him, but he will be back." She mumbled the last part to herself.

The green clad ninja offered his hand to help her up. "I am sure you will get to…"

Midoriko ignored his offered hand and got up on her own. "I will get to see the back of his coat as he leaves for yet another mission." She cut him off. Her voice was filled with anger that Lee had not heard from her before.

"You have not told him that it hurts when he leaves." Lee stepped back from her.

Midoriko let out another sigh and counted. The voice in the back of her mind seemed to agree with Lee on this matter. "When I have something to tell him that is worth wild, I will be sure to let him know. Otherwise, he can read your daily reports as everyone else does."

Lee rubbed the back of his head nervously. The daily reports were something that Tsunade had insisted on. They were meant as a way for Rai-sama to keep track of her progress. But progress had been slow at best. The disconnection between her mind and body seemed to be a road block they couldn't quite get around yet. "This is not exactly something that I would put in my reports to Rai-sama. Your feelings for Naruto-kun should be something that you discuss with Naruto-kun."

Midoriko counted again as the voice got louder in her head. _"I may not be able to do much from where I am, but I will annoy the SHIT out of you until you DO something about Pretty Boy."_

Granted, the voice had control over very little. Midoriko found it more of a hinderance than an annoyance, but it annoyed Midoriko none the less. It had become a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing. Midoriko had managed to keep control of her vocal outbursts. She hadn't called anyone a name, or even made a snide comment in months. But there were moments when she would find things out of place, or while cooking salt would be substituted for the sugar or visa versa. She had woken up in Naruto's bedroom once, thankfully while he was gone and there were the occasional mornings she woke up in the library with an odd book in her hand. The only time she couldn't control her actions was the one and only time Sasuke had tried to stand in for Lee. Midoriko found that she couldn't stop laughing at Sasuke. He would look at her with a serious face and she would start to giggle for no apparent reason. The more serious Sasuke looked at her, the harder Midoriko would laugh. Midoriko had gotten a decent core workout from the constant laughing.

Midoriko rubbed at her eyes. "I should tell Naruto-kun a lot of things, but for now I will let him continue his adjustment. I will give him the time he needs to adjust. I will still be here."

"_LIKE HELL!"_ The voice raged. Midoriko took a few more deep breaths effectively pushing the voice back behind the doors.

Lee closed his eyes and shook his head. She was giving up again and he hated to see her give up like this. "You sell your self short Midoriko-chan. I think you need a break from training. I think you need to do something for you and not for someone else. I have an idea to combat the coordination issue. But I will only try if your heart is in it. It should be extremely exciting and I will get to show you what it is to be YOUTHFUL!" he struck a pose.

0 – 0 – 0

Midoriko came to the knock at the door. She was dressed in a halter top, lavender dress, black high heels, and her hair pined back, feathered and curled in long ringlets. She smiled fondly at the nervously stiff looking Rock Lee. "Good evening Lee-sensei."

Lee was extremely nervous. He stood at attention with a bouquet of star gazer lilies in his hand. He was dressed in a dark forest green suit with a white tie. He actually looked very dashing. Lee's cheeks flushed pink before he bowed and shoved the bouquet of flowers at her. "These are for you."

She took the flowers and giggled brightly. "Please come in for a moment while I get these in some water."

Moegi stepped around the corner with Minato in her arms. There was an expression of shock that was mirrored on both baby and babysitter's faces. "You're going on a date with Lee?!"

Lee stood completely still at attention as the boy in Moegi's arms glared at him. The taijutsu master started to sweat under the scrutiny of the little boy. "It is a training exercise." Lee blurted under the pressure.

Midoriko brought a vase and the bouquet of flowers to the foyer. She stood and arranged the flowers silently for a moment. "We are going to study some dance techniques to help with my timing." She paused to smell the fragrance of the arrangement of star gazer lilies. Midoriko's eyes darted harshly to Moegi. "I'm entitled to have a little fun with my friends Moegi-chan. I won't be too late." Midoriko turned to Lee with a wistful smile.

Minato narrowed his violet eyes at his mother. He did not like this at all. The boy lurched from Moegi's arms towards his mother, nearly toppling Moegi over in the process. Midoriko caught the boy and he clung defiantly on to Midoriko's neck, not wanting to let go. Lee gave Minato a charming "good guy" smile. "I promise to have your Oka-san home at midnight."

The boy leaned back in his mother's arms and decided it was time for some emotional blackmail. Minato pouted, elongated his face to make his eyes look twice as large as they actually were. His large violet eyes wobbled and watered as crocodile tears threatened to drop from the corners. To add insult to injury, Minato's bottom lip quivered and he started to snivel as if at any moment an ear shattering cry would escape his lips.

Midoriko raised a thin black eyebrow. She was not fooled by this plea for her to stay home. The voice had been unusually supportive about the idea of dancing. And for the first time, Midoriko actually agreed with the voice. There were some grumbles about going out with Lee and not Naruto. But Naruto wasn't home, and it wasn't like he was going to object anyway. The woman let out a long sigh. She hugged her son close, kissing him on the top of his head. "Not this time, my Little One. I am going to go out and have a good time with Lee. You can have fun with Moegi-chan." Midoriko handed Minato back to Moegi. "His last bottle is in the fridge. Warm it slightly before you give it to him. Or if he wants, he can have one of the deserts I left in the pantry for him. Bed time is eight O'clock, the phone number is on the fridge."

Moegi was still in a slight state of shock. Naruto wasn't due home for another few days. But there was something that told Moegi that this night wasn't going to end well. The door closed and Moegi stared at the little boy in her arms. "It's just you and me kido…"

Minato was fuming MAD. His eyes were narrowed in anger and a nasty scowl was set on his face. He was glaring at the door so hard one would think that any second, the door would burst into flames. Moegi shrugged. "How about some TV for a little while?" She questioned the tyke.

Minato snapped his head towards his captor for the moment. He liked Moegi, he really did. She was sweet and she could play games a lot better than the other two that she hung around with. Honestly, Minato didn't understand why his mother insisted in having the other two around. Moegi did most of the work. She would play with Minato, let him crawl around the house and she would make sure he was bathed before his mother or father got home. Moegi generally kept Minato entertained and cleaned up after the other two. Monkey Boy watched TV most of the time, snacking on the treats Midoriko made for them. The Book Worm stayed in the library reading everything he could. It was something Minato would change as soon as he had the voice to change it. Minato let out a sigh of defeat and hugged Moegi in acknowledgement of her question.

0 – 0 – 0

It had been a long couple of days traveling back to Konoha. The mission Naruto had been on went as well as could be expected. It was a simple mission escorting some merchants and their goods to the Wave Country. Getting there had been easier and sooner than expected. At first he was going to stay a few days with Tazuna, but seeing Inari and Tsunami together as mother and son reminded him of his own family back home. He missed Minato and when he came down to it, he missed Midoriko too.

The missions Naruto had kept himself busy on were supposed to take his mind off of her. They were supposed to make him stop wanting to be around her. They were supposed to ease the frustrations of being around her. But all they did was make it harder to stay away. Sure, he had rushed the caravan. Sure, the horses were taxed to the brink of exhaustion. But they had to get out of enemy territory right?

Instead of staying for the meal offered to him by Tsunami, Naruto was sprinting home as soon as the caravan had made their delivery. The mission was done a whole week early. If he timed it just right, he would be home in time for dinner. Naruto could smell what ever it was that Midoriko was cooking. Didn't matter what it was. It was her cooking and that was enough to make him salivate in anticipation.

Naruto had just stepped foot in the Uchiha district of the village when he saw the stiff looking Lee walking into the same row of houses with some pretty flowers. Naruto chuckled to himself. Lee looked almost normal for a change. Naruto decided to follow Lee. He was curious to find out what misguided female was going out with Bushy Brow. Naruto liked his friend well enough, but the boy had some issues to work out.

Naruto paled when Lee stopped at the house… HIS house. The blonde watched as Midoriko opened the door and smiled at Lee. Lee went IN the house… WITH the flowers. Naruto sat on the roof overlooking his front door allowing the worst case scenarios filter through his mind. The blonde settled on something that seemed logical. Lee was there for dinner, and just being polite by bringing flowers. Yes, Naruto could accept that. It wasn't the first time Lee had come to dinner. But it WAS the first time he brought flowers. The door opened again and Lee stepped out first. Lee looked more relaxed and confident. Naruto heard the door close and then she stepped into the walk way.

Midoriko looked amazing. Her hair was wild around her face in soft curls. The swish of her lavender skirt brought attention to her long legs. Naruto was happy watching Midoriko walk and the gentle sway of her hips until the green sleeved hand blocked his view. Wait... Lee's hand… was on her back, guiding her down the street. Naruto blinked the anger out of his eyes. Why was that freak touching HIS girl? And why was HIS girl going ANYWHERE with that FREAK?

This was the final straw. Naruto was literally seeing red as he snuck over the fence of his own house towards the garden. Naruto saw the glimpse of tail being pulled under the pagoda. The tail wasn't fast enough as the Kyuubi was yanked from his den. "YOU LET HER GO?!"

"_**I was instructed to watch from a far. When I noticed she wasn't in the house, I went to see what was going on. She was already gone. Midoriko is YOURS to deal with, remember? You made that quite clear."**_ The fox grinned.

"But she went out with Lee." Naruto sounded hurt.

"_**Yes. And you have been off gallivanting at every opportunity, ignoring every instinct you have to protect her, help her remember, and most of all LOVE HER. You are the first one to spout inspirations about treating Midoriko differently because she is NOT Myra. You didn't want to fall into the trap that the villagers did when they treat you as if you were me. Have you thought for one instant that possibly, if you had treated Midoriko the same as if she WERE Myra, you wouldn't be standing here, holding me by my tail whining about her being out with another man?"**_

Naruto dropped the Kyuubi as if he were something vile. The realization struck Naruto like a ton of bricks. He HAD been treating Midoriko differently. He HAD been avoiding her. Naruto had been keeping his distance because he didn't want to force anything that would disrupt the seal. He had intentionally kept his distance because he couldn't trust himself with her. He wanted to hold her, breath in her scent, and love her like he had before she had gone away. Myra was the missing part of his soul and he was so determined to get her back, he didn't see that she was right there all along.

Moegi slid open the door to the garden. She had heard the voices and was very curious to see what was going on. She was shocked by the sight in front of her, the upturned pagoda on the other side of the garden, Naruto sitting on the ground looking like a whipped puppy, and the rather perturbed fox. Oh, Moegi knew about the fox in the garden. She had always been a little suspicious about the fox, mostly because he scared her. It was just a fox, right, no reason to be scared. But that fox, was different. "Naruto-niisan! You're back early." The girl couldn't hide her delight.

"I'm an idiot." Naruto sounded dejected and hurt.

Moegi rolled her eyes. "Well you're a boy. Boys are stupid no matter what they do."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Moegi. "Thanks a lot, Runt…" He said sarcastically.

"So do you still need me, or can I go home?" Moegi had crossed her arms and started to tap her foot impatiently.

Naruto let out a sigh and stood up. "I guess you can go home."

Moegi uncrossed her arms and looked at Naruto like he was someone she didn't know. "You're giving up?"

"What am I supposed to do?"

"How about go get her?" Moegi smirked.

Naruto pushed passed the girl. "Yeah, like that would go over well."

"She loves you, ya' know." Moegi smiled sadly.

Naruto snapped his head back to Moegi in shock. "What?"

"I see how she is when you're not here. She's sad and lonely. Midoriko-chan brightens up a little when you're around. But when you're gone, life is pretty gloomy." Moegi shivered despite the warmth of the evening. "It's kind of weird. When you're home the house feels warm. When you leave, everything gets kind of cold."

The blonde blinked. He hadn't considered the possibilities that Midoriko would harbor any feelings towards him. But then again, she was ultimately Myra underneath the seals that kept her a prisoner. _"They may be able to force you into changing my mind, but nothing can change my heart. That belongs to you and only you."_ Myra's words echoed in his head. Naruto smacked himself in the forehead with the ultimate realization and understanding of Myra's last words. Her mind had changed, but her heart knew where it belonged. How could he have been SO stupid not to see it before? "I am such an idiot."

Moegi grinned. "Yes, you are. But I won't hold it against you." There was a loud thump as Minato tumbled out of his play pen and onto the floor. Both Moegi and Naruto turned to see the little boy shake off the fall and start to crawl in the direction of the garden.

Naruto walked into the house and picked Minato off the floor. Father and son stared at each other. Minato hugged his father tightly and looked up at Naruto. Violet blue eyes watered, but no tears ever fell. Naruto held his son close. "I need to go get her don't I?"

Minato pushed off Naruto's chest and straight into Moegi's arms. There was a bright smile on the boy's face and a look that spoke clearly to his father. _Go get Mama!_

0 – 0 – 0

The club was jumping! Lee turned out to be an excellent dancer and a perfect dance instructor. He was the model of politeness and a gentleman. Midoriko was feeling alive for the first time in a long time, but there was still something wrong. As much as she wanted to go out and have a little fun with her friend and teacher, Lee was most certainly not Naruto. Midoriko wanted to be in Naruto's arms dancing. She wanted to be oh so much closer to Naruto, but he would always hold back every time she got near enough to try.

The music blared over the sound system and Midoriko became lost in the sea of gyrating bodies. She was free to express herself here. There was just her and the music thumping loudly in her ears. Lee wasn't far away, also moving to the music. They had become in sync with each other's movements. Lee grabbed her hand and pulled her close for an impressive finish to the dance. There were applause Midoriko could hear in the background, but she was focused on the dark eyes and bushy eyebrows staring at her intently with a cheesy grin on his face. Lee stood her up out of the dip and just continued grinning. "That was very well done Midoriko-chan." He panted. "Maybe it is time we get some refreshments."

Midoriko smiled and let go of his hand. "I would like that." She said meekly, pushing some stray hair behind her ear. "I hope Naruto-kun could bring me here when he has time."

Lee pulled her off the dance floor to their table. "Naruto-kun has been extremely busy with some important missions. He is only thinking about you and To-chan."

Midoriko couldn't argue with that. But there was something else that had been bothering Midoriko, something else she could never quite shake. "Is he avoiding me?"

Lee's eyes snapped to Midoriko. Lee didn't really know all the details and he hadn't really asked. "I doubt he is avoiding you Midoriko-chan." He tried to reassure her.

Midoriko sat at the table and looked at the dancing crowd. "Sometimes I wonder. I wonder what it would be like for him to see me. Naruto always seems to look passed me, or through me, but never at me. The few times he has looked at me… He looks away, sad and hurt by what he sees. He puts up that fake smile of his and thinks I don't notice. Naruto wants me to believe he's ok with this… problem."

"Your problem is that you are trying to hard. Be who you are. Don't try to be something you are not. And if Naruto can not see you for you, then it is his loss." Lee squeezed her hand. Midoriko smiled and a light dusting of pink dusted her cheeks. That's when everything stopped.

The hairs on Midoriko's neck went stiff. She turned her head and was horrified by the sight of Naruto glaring down at her. "NARUTO-KUN?"

Naruto had been there for twenty minutes or more. He had watched as Lee had taught her the step and how she caught on quickly. Midoriko was whirling and gyrating in no time flat. The blonde had to admit, it did look rather fun. But the green monster of jealousy was beginning to rage out of control. And when Lee had implied that Naruto didn't deserve Midoriko… That broke every resolve Naruto had. Naruto grabbed Midoriko's hand and pulled her out of her chair. He glared at Midoriko with blue feral eyes. **"You're coming home… NOW."**

At first Midoriko was going to comply with out argument. But then she thought about it for a moment. The voice certainly was thinking right along with her. _"Don't let him bully you."_

She wasn't doing anything wrong. This was a training exercise. Granted, a night of dancing may not exactly look like training, but for the first time Midoriko could get her feet where they needed to be when they needed to be there. There hadn't been a conflict of mind and body. She wanted to explore more of how this was going to work.

It wasn't like she was cheating on Naruto. Was there even a relationship to be worried about? The voice seemed to be agreeing with her thoughts. Naruto hadn't said or done anything more than be her protector. He hadn't said or done anything that suggested this kind of reaction. Naruto cared about her that much she knew. He wasn't her father and he sure as hell wasn't her husband. _"Don't do it."_

"No…" Midoriko pushed Naruto's hand away.

Naruto took a deep breath to stave off the near boiling anger. Lee looked on a little shocked and a little worried. "Naruto-kun… We were just…"

"**Save it Bushy Brow…"** The blonde spat. **"I don't care what you were doing. She's coming home… NOW."** Naruto got into Lee's face and loomed dangerously.

The voice in her mind was seething. _"Since when does he get to demand that you do anything?"_

Midoriko crossed her arms defensively. "I don't need your permission to go out with a friend."

Naruto's eyes shifted to Midoriko. **"Friend huh? The way you two were dancing, I could swear you were more than friends."**

"_Why should it matter to him? Tell him the truth and see what happens."_ The voice echoed.

Midoriko blinked. "Yes, just friends. And if we were more than friends, what should that matter to you?"

Naruto turned red with anger. Lee had wisely disappeared into the background. Why couldn't she see that he was angry because she was out with Lee? Couldn't she see that it DID matter? Didn't Midoriko understand that the idea of her in the arms of another man infuriated Naruto to the point of insanity? No.. She couldn't and Naruto wasn't about to admit the way he was feeling either. So he did what anyone would do, he deflected. **"Because you shouldn't be out with ANYONE while your son is at home with a babysitter."**

"My son?" Midoriko was a little shocked to say the least. "I would remind you that you were there for his conception so that would make him YOUR son as well. But since you're never home, I can see were you would consider him MY son alone."

Naruto mentally winced. He was Minato's father and he hadn't been acting like one at all. It was something he was planning on changing if she would just listen to reason.

The voice in the back of Midoriko's mind laughed. _"Just tell him to go home and take over for Moegi."_

"And if you are SO upset about Minato being left in Moegi's care, I would suggest you go home, relieve her of that obligation and leave me be." Midoriko kept her chin high.

"**I am not a babysitter."** Naruto growled.

"No… You're not. But you ARE his father, whether you act like it or not." Midoriko didn't know why she was listening to the voice, but it seemed to be working out better than she expected. An odd thing was beginning to happen. It was like Midoriko could see clearly for the first time. The world around her came into a sharper focus and it was if she could feel everything around her.

"**And you are his mother."** Naruto countered angrily. At this point he wasn't really thinking about what he was saying. He just wanted her to get her home and away from this place. He would deal with damage control later.

Midoriko leveled a glare at the blonde. "Yes, I am and I'm not going to be ashamed of taking some time for myself. You leave him at home with me all the time, what's the difference?"

"**I'm not leaving him at home to cohort with other men."**

"_Oh that's a laugh."_ The voice chuckled. _"Tell him how you feel. I will help you say what needs to be said."_

Midoriko surrendered to the voice. Her head felt a little fuzzy, but she could see and hear everything going on around her. Midoriko's posture changed. She seemed more confident, more sure of herself. Naruto watched as she tilted her head in confusion and stifled a chuckle. "Then what exactly do you do with Sasuke on those rare days that you are home longer than twenty four hours? And if you are home more than twenty four hours, if I'm not mistaken, you can't wait to, how did you put it?" She tapped the side of her chin. "Train with guys."

"**That's different. I train with them."** He scoffed.

"Then what are you so upset about? I'm here to TRAIN with my SENSEI."

"**This is not training. This is being OUT on a DATE with a MAN."**

"Ok so now I'm confused. Are you upset because I left Minato at home with Moegi? Or are you upset because I came here with Lee? You need to make up your mind because Kami knows I already have enough personality issues of my own to deal with this shit."

Naruto looked at Midoriko like she had grown a second head. **"What is wrong with you? **

Something in Midoriko snapped. All the pent up emotions she had been suppressing for the last few months boiled to the surface. "What the hell is wrong me? What the hell is wrong with YOU? You're home for thirty seconds and then disappear for WEEKS, and I'm getting bitched at because I wanted to go out with A FRIEND for a few hours? You treat me like a fucking leper and then crawl up my ass about being out with A MALE FRIEND." Tears were evident in her voice. "You don't look at me, you don't talk to me, you don't do anything but smile that fake ass smile of yours and walk out the fucking door." Midoriko's head was beginning to throb so she put her hand on the chair to keep herself steady.

The blonde stood there is stunned silence. He didn't have a counter argument for her. He had no witty come back that would refute anything Midoriko said. Naruto noticed the area around them had suddenly gone extremely quiet. The air was thick with the tension that surrounded the arguing pair and it was a little colder than he remembered it being. He glanced around the room to see countless faces of people glaring at him. They had all heard her tell him that she thought she was invisible to him and the sad truth made him cringe at the very thought that it was exactly how he had treated Midoriko.

Midoriko's head was pounding in her ears. Even the voice seemed to be cowering in the corner of her mind from the pain. The woman took a deep breath and tried desperately to push aside the pain. But nothing she did seemed to work. The room started to spin and everything started to fade from her vision. The clarity that had come with Midoriko allowing the voice to take brief control was becoming the muted shades of color. As her vision faded, the pain increased. Soon it was too much for her to simply push aside. Midoriko tried to hold her head up high and ignore the pain as she turned on her heel and walked away from the silent blonde. Naruto watched Midoriko turn and take two steps before she started to fall.

Midoriko never hit the ground. He was there to catch her. Naruto would always be there to catch her. He had promised her that much, and so far it was the one way he hadn't failed her. Naruto checked her vitals. Midoriko was cold to the touch and starting to twitch in his arms. Naruto started to panic and held her close as if to stop her from convulsing. The blonde heard shouts calling for doctors, but there was nothing anyone could do. He had pushed her and thus pushed the seal. This was why he couldn't trust himself to be near her. He could kill her because of his selfish wants and needs. He scooped Midoriko up and headed for the hospital. Hopefully he would be in time. Hopefully he would get there before… before the unthinkable could happen.


	80. Getting the Word Out

**(cues cheesy voice over) Previously....**

_Midoriko never hit the ground. He was there to catch her. Naruto would always be there to catch her. He had promised her that much, and so far it was the one way he hadn't failed her. Naruto checked her vitals. Midoriko was cold to the touch and starting to twitch in his arms. Naruto started to panic and held her close as if to stop her from convulsing. The blonde heard shouts calling for doctors, but there was nothing anyone could do. He had pushed her and thus pushed the seal. This was why he couldn't trust himself to be near her. He could kill her because of his selfish wants and needs. He scooped Midoriko up and headed for the hospital. Hopefully he would be in time. Hopefully he would get there before… before the unthinkable could happen._

_**And now...**_

**Chapter 80: Getting the Word Out**

They had shoved him out of the room. Tsunade bellowed, "You'll just be in the way. We'll let you know when it's safe to come in."

"But I want to be in there!" He shouted in the heat of the moment and almost sounded like he was whining.

Tsunade smiled at Sasuke to calm him down. "You need to get scrubbed down and put on a robe. We'll let you back in the room in a moment."

"SASUKE YOU ARROGANT ASSHOLE, GET IN HERE!" Sakura was in no mood to be told she had to wait for Sasuke.

Sasuke had gone pale and was actually scared of his wife. Tsunade chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry so much Uchiha, when we give her something for the pain she'll be fine."

"She's going to kill me, isn't she?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "If Naruto can survive Midoriko giving birth I'm sure you can survive Sakura."

"Midoriko can't crush rock to dust with her bare hands." Sasuke quipped sarcastically.

"Then I would suggest you keep your family jewels out of reach if you want have more children. More than one woman has reached for her husband and missed his hand. For most men, it is a temporary pain that will heal. For someone like Sakura, it could be quite devastating."

Sasuke's eye twitched in horror and he swallowed the lump in his throat. "You aren't helping."

Tsunade kept her smile. "There are a few ways I can actually torture you, young Uchiha. I am taking great satisfaction in this. Consider it pay back for the many years I had to suffer Naruto in my office demanding permission to search for you." She handed him a white robe. "The washroom is down the hall to the left. I wouldn't take to long, but then again this could take a while."

Shizune came running down the hall in a panic. "LADY TSUNADE!" Both Sasuke and Tsunade turned to Shizune. "Naruto just brought Midoriko in. She's seizing."

Tsunade's eyes went wide with shock. This was bad. This was very bad. Sakura was having problems and now Midoriko was in the hospital too. "Shizune, get Sasuke prepped and sedate Sakura… Heavily… And then bring me some of those same drugs I may need to sedate Naruto."

"Wait, why would Midoriko be seizing?" Sasuke had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. At first he had thought it had something to do with Sakura going into labor, but now that he knew Midoriko was in trouble, he didn't want to think of the possibilities.

Tsunade was thinking the same thing. "Sasuke, worry about Sakura and my granddaughter, let Naruto take care of Midoriko. I will let you know what is going on as soon as I can."

0 – 0 – 0

He had been in the waiting room before. It was nothing new. The same benches were there for the family members of those in the hospital. Naruto couldn't bring himself to sit down. He just kept pacing the hallway waiting for any news. He didn't care what kind of news it was, he just wanted to know what the hell was going on. Why had he pushed her? Why had he been so angry? Why couldn't he just swallow his pride and admit that he was jealous? Naruto stood up tall and tried to think of a good reason that vindicated him for being a jerk. He slumped onto one of the benches putting his head in his hands. "I'm such an idiot."

He should have realized something was wrong the minute the room started to get cold. He should have stopped her the minute she had uttered the first curse word. Midoriko didn't cuss. Myra on the other hand could be linguistically colorful when provoked. Now that he thought about it, Naruto should have figured out something was wrong with the first sarcastic remark. It was just another reminder how different Myra and Midoriko were.

His internal thoughts were shattered but the harsh slam of the door to Midoirko's room. Naruto didn't bother to look up at the furious blonde woman. He knew he was going to be in the hospital bed next to Midoriko any second with every bone in his body broken. Naruto chuckled internally. _Poetic justice if you ask me._

"Go home Naruto. Get some rest. There isn't anymore you can do here." Tsunade sighed. She was angry with him, but being angry wasn't going to help anyone. He looked as if he had beaten himself up worse than anything she could do physically. So Tsunade let it go.

"Is she going to be okay?" Naruto kept his gaze on the floor.

"She's stable and she stopped convulsing. Midoriko is resting comfortably and probably will be able to go home in the morning. I want to keep her here just in case." The Hokage let out a breath. "Both the Memory Seal AND the Kill Seal were severely stressed. Another stress like this one and we won't need to find a way to remove the seals, because Midoriko will die and there won't be a need to worry about it. Do not provoke her like that again."

Naruto got up and started to skulk away. Tsunade watched him take a few steps before she sighed again. "Aren't you going to at least go in and tell her you'll be back?"

"I think I've provoked her enough for one night." He muttered darkly and kept walking.

"Naruto," She said sternly. He stopped, but he did not turn. "You are banned from the Mission Office until you deal with this. You are no good to me in this state of depression. You are hereby ordered to stand down from all missions save one. YOU are to begin training with Midoriko when she is feeling better." She was going to force him into spending time with Midoriko if it killed him. "And I would suggest you get your ass in that room. She's been asking for you. I need to get back to Sakura."

Naruto finally turned. He walked slowly at first, but then had to hold back from rushing in. He put his hand on the door and Tsunade held him back for one more thing. "Try not to excite her too much."

Naruto nodded but said nothing. He swallowed hard before he opened the door. The blonde entered as quietly as he could, just in case she was sleeping. The silver moon light beaming in the windows gave the normally white room a dark gray cast. The light of the crescent moon was the only illumination in the room. Midoriko was lying in the bed staring out the window at the starry evening. Her brown eyes were teary and there was a definite gloom than hung in the air.

Midoriko turned to the sounds of the door, seriously thinking it would be Lady Tsunade coming back in to say that Naruto had already gone home to relieve Moegi. She didn't expect to actually see Naruto. She hastily wiped away the tears she had been shedding. She couldn't look at him. She felt so ashamed for being the cause of all this. Midoriko looked away from him as she felt another round of tears start to well up behind her eyes.

Naruto took a few steps closer. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine." She said softly.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "So, you ah… want me to bring some clothes to go home in tomorrow?"

"That would be nice of you. A t-shirt and some shorts will do. It is supposed to be warm again tomorrow." She kept staring out the window.

He took a few more steps closer to her. He couldn't deny the pull she had on him. Midoriko was extremely unhappy and he was going to do everything he could just to see her smile again. "Midoriko, please look at me."

The woman in bed looked down at her hands first, as if waiting for permission to turn her gaze at Naruto. She searched her mind for the voice to give her an answer, some guidance, or some strength. But the voice was eerily silent. Midoriko took in a deep breath and whipped her tear stained face. She closed her eyes and turned to face Naruto.

She opened her eyes and let out the deep breath. He was worried. She could see it in his eyes. But was he worried about loosing her, or Myra? Tonight had brought so many things into perspective for Midoriko. The Voice in the back of her mind was the person she had been before the seals were cast. Myra was the woman Naruto was in love with and Midoriko, though her heart knew she loved him, couldn't be that person for Naruto.

Naruto knew that look. Midoriko had given up on something. Had she given up on him? Had she given up on life? "Don't give up on me please. I… I need you." He admitted to her.

"You don't need me." Tears started to fall and she turned away from him. "I'm not Myra."

Naruto sat on the bed next to her, turning her to face him. "Yes you are. I was stupid not to see it before and tonight just proves that you ARE Myra. That part of you that makes you Myra is just buried beneath the surface. It will come out when the time is right. It can't be forced. I understand that now. I wanted her back so much," he pause to force back his tears, "I couldn't see that you were right here all along."

Midoriko frowned. "But I'm not Myra."

"Yes you are. I'll prove it to you." He leaned in and kissed her lips ever so gently.

Midoriko was shocked at first. But then she felt a warm tingle flush her whole body. This was right. This was what she wanted. This was where she belonged.

Before he had really realized it, Naruto was trying to deepen the kiss and she was responding in kind. Reluctantly, he pulled back and put his hand on her cheek. Midoriko pulled back from the kiss, her eyes fluttered closed and she remembered something.

[FLASH BACK]

_Naruto tensed up and looked away from her. "I can understand not wanting to be alone. But life is very complicated for a shinobi. I risk my life every day on missions that are extremely dangerous." He was trying to choose his words carefully. "A shinobi must be free of emotional attachments." He was trying to push back his tears._

_Myra raised an eyebrow. There was laughter in her response. "You're kidding, right? Do you really believe that bullshit? Because I don't." Myra got out of the bed, her long black hair let loose around her face and down her back. She was wearing a white spaghetti strap flannel t-shirt that came to just above her navel and boxers with purple flames printed on them rolled down below her hips. Naruto chanced a look at her when her feet hit the floor. She stood up and walked towards him. Sweat started to poured off of him, if he could have climbed up the wall he would have._

_Myra put her hands on his chest. The electricity of the touch was like a euphoric drug to both of them. She looked him in the eyes. Her tears were evident in her words, "If you really believe that bullshit; then tell me to leave and I will do so. But if I walk out that door, there is no turning back." Myra put her forehead against his chin._

_Naruto had dug his fingers into the wood of the wall. It was everything he could do not to pick her up and toss her on the bed. Myra brushed her lips against his neck. Her breath made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Naruto swallowed again. "I don't want to risk loosing you. This is the only way I know how to protect you." His voice was a horse whisper. _

_Myra took a deep breath, her warm tears now dripping on his chest. "And what if I told you I don't care about the risks. What then? Are you still going to tell me to leave?" She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. She didn't want to believe he was being serious. Naruto looked away from her. He couldn't see her like this. The Fox howled in the recesses of his mind. It was a mournful sound that chilled Naruto to the bone. His heart was breaking and he was breaking hers along with it. She pushed away from him._

"_FUCK YOU and your GOD DAMN shinobi BULLSHIT!" The tears flooded her face. She paced the room for a moment and wiped the tears from her face. Myra turned back to him, anger burning in her eyes. She was not going to give in that easily. She stomped up to Naruto, grabbed his head just behind his ears and pulled his head down to hers. Myra kissed him, sending as much of her passion as she could into the kiss._

_Naruto let go of the door jam and wrapped his arms around her pulling her close to return the kiss. Myra broke the kiss first looking directly into his blue eyes then rested her head on his chest._

"_Now that I know you're full of shit, tell me to leave." More tears dripped on to his chest._

[END FLASH BACK]

Midoriko opened her eyes and brought her fingers to touch her lips. It was the first kiss they had shared. There was so much behind that one kiss. So many emotions behind something so small and yet... She couldn't understand why he was trying to push Myra away. "You tried to tell me to leave. You tried to tell Myra this was a bad idea."

Naruto had to chuckle. "Yeah… I remember that. I thought it was the best thing to do at the time. You convinced me otherwise."

Midoriko looked confused. "If you knew all this was going to happen, then…"

The blonde pulled her hand away from her face. "I wouldn't change anything. I knew I loved you. You knew you loved me. WE were willing to fight to stay together." He put his hand on her cheek and whipped away her tears with his thumb. "I'm still willing to fight. But you have to want to fight too."

Midoriko reached up and pulled his hand away from her cheek but didn't let go. She laced her fingers with his. "I don't think I can do this alone anymore."

Naruto padded her hand and gave her the first genuine smile in a long time. "You won't have to. I'm not going anywhere and I will be _right here_ where I should be."

Midoriko looked up at him. Her eyes were full of hope, but they were clouded by her doubts. "No more long missions?"

"No more long missions. I am going to stay right here until we get through this." He looked directly into her eyes and kept her gaze. It was the first time he actually looked longer than a few split seconds. Midoriko took a deep breath. He was looking at her, not through her like he was searching for something else. Naruto was looking at her and she felt as if he was seeing her for the first time. He pulled her into a tight embrace and placed a kiss on top of her head. "We'll get through this, together. I promise."

Midoriko wept on his shoulder and he stayed there just holding her. Despite the tears and the gray of the moonlit room, the room seemed brighter to Naruto. The blonde just held on to her and let her cry. After a few moments the tears stopped and the woman in his arms yawned. He didn't want to let her go just yet, but she was going to need clothes in the morning and he had to get back to Minato. He shifted to let her go.

"Stay." She whispered.

"Someone has to get back to the house and you aren't going anywhere."

She nodded and sat back in bed. "Little One needs you. I will be fine."

Naruto smiled at her and pushed a stray bit of fringe out of her eyes. "I'll stay till you're asleep and I will be here in the morning, Okay?" He never took his eyes off of hers.

There was a thin smile on Midoriko's lips as she lay back in bed and let sleep take her. Naruto stayed as he had promised. Her breathing had evened out and the hand that she had knitted with his had finally gone slack. The blonde stood and kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger. He felt content for the first time in a long while. He stood, turning to walk out of the room.

0 – 0 – 0

Sasuke stood outside of Midoriko's room waiting for the blonde to come out of the room. Sakura was sleeping at the moment and he had taken the opportunity to slip out of the room. The contractions had slowed, and there wasn't anything they could do but wait. Sakura had wanted to be strong and not take the medication for the pain, saying that she could bare it. After she had broken the bones in Sasuke's hand the second time, he insisted that she take the medication.

Naruto came out of Midoriko's room with a frown on his face and was met with Sasuke's glare of disapproval. "Don't say it. I don't want to hear it." The blonde grumbled.

Tsunade had already told Sasuke all he needed to know. Naruto had screwed up and that was enough to set off Sasuke's over developed sense of family protection. But the Uchiha knew his blonde friend was beating himself up about the whole situation. "Not going to say a word. But I thought you would like to know that Sakura is in the hospital too."

Naruto let a smirk get passed his depressed mood. "Sayuki? Is she here yet?"

Sasuke rubbed his hand reflexively. "Not yet. We are waiting. Sakura's resting right now, but any minute I will have my hand broken…again."

Naruto gave the Uchiha a cheeky grin. "Hang in there. Once you get passed the pain and the idle threats, you'll have a baby in your arms. It's a pretty awesome experience." Naruto chuckled lightly, but Sasuke still looked a little nervous. There was a silent moment between them that Naruto broke with a strange idea. "Hey, Teme," Naruto made a hand sign and with a puff of smoke there was two of him. "I'm gonna go say hi to Sakura for a minute. I'll have him go home to grab Midoriko's clothes." Naruto thumbed to his clone. "Moegi needs an update." That brought up another thought to Naruto's head and he popped out another clone. "Someone should walk Moegi home before he brings clothes back" Naruto eyed his clones. The clones nodded and headed out the door. Naruto turned back to Sasuke.

"Hn. Sure, just come back and get me if something happens." Sasuke put his hands on the doors.

Naruto was about to run off for Sakura's room. "It feels good doesn't it?" Sasuke turned to Naruto with a questioning glance. "It feels good to have a family again doesn't it?" The blonde smiled fondly.

Sasuke thought about it for a moment. He did have a family again and it did feel good. "Hn. Yeah, it does." Naruto smirked and ran off down the corridor. Sasuke entered Midoriko's room as quietly as possible. He knew she was asleep and wasn't going to wake up for a while. At least this way she wouldn't start laughing at him.

He sat next to her and let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes. Maybe while she was asleep he could hear her. Maybe while she was asleep he could try and get through the barriers. He tried to call to her, but he got nothing but the mental equivalent of static. He sat up and opened his eyes again and found Midoriko sitting up in bed smiling at him. "You shouldn't be here. You should be with Sakura." She eyed him.

Sasuke decided that the spot on the floor was more interesting to look at. "She's asleep, like you should be." He was amazed at how easily he could talk to Midoriko, as long as she wasn't laughing at him. Sasuke figured if he didn't look at her seriously, she wouldn't start laughing. _Wait, she was asleep. How did she know about Sakura?_ The Uchiha pondered.

"Tsunade told me Sakura went into labor." She said as if answering his mental questions. "Congratulations Daddy." She giggled. "So did Naruto put you on guard duty?"

"He wanted to see Sakura. I was here and he didn't want to leave you alone, so he asked." Sasuke shrugged. "I was worried about you too." _Where the hell did that come from?_ He asked himself at little shocked at his loose tongue.

"And here I thought you didn't care." There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Sasuke snapped his eyes up to her. "I do too care!" Now he was really shocked at himself. _What the?_

Myra allowed a light to sparkle in her eyes when she smirked knowingly. "I know you do. Egocentric Fucktard or not, you care more than you want anyone to realize. Now, go back to Sakura's room, she's going to need you in a minute."

Sasuke stared at Myra completely shocked and dumbfounded. "How?"

Myra smiled sadly and let out an equally sad sigh. "It doesn't matter, I couldn't do this again if I wanted to, so please don't try it again." As her chocolate orbs pleaded with his, they showed no sighed of moisture, however, the unshed tears were evident in her voice. Myra forced back the emotions and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Sound must be destroyed, specifically the labs. Take out the labs. Please, Sasuke… For the safety of your daughter and my son, destroy the labs. Lastly," she winced, obviously in pain, "when you see Itachi, forgive him and allow him to atone for his sins." The tears she had been holding back, weather for physical pain or emotional he did not know, finally burst from her eyes. "And tell Naruto I love him." She reached out and gave Sasuke a hard nudge on his shoulder.

Sasuke was jolted awake by Naruto shaking his shoulder. "Teme, wake up."

Sasuke blinked open his eyes and glared at the blonde. Naruto jumped back a little. "Um… Tusnade said the contractions are getting close."

Sasuke turned his shocked gaze from Naruto to the woman lying in bed. Midoriko was still asleep and hadn't moved. It HAD worked. He HAD gotten through to Myra. But what was the cost? "Sasuke, hurry!" Naruto tried to pull Sasuke out of the chair.

"No… Wait, just a moment." Sasuke stood up and got closer to Midoriko. He checked over her monitors and made sure she was still breathing. But there was an undeniable twitch beginning to start in Midoriko's wrist. "Is Tsunade with Sakura?"

"Yes, now go." Naruto didn't understand Sasuke's odd behavior. Not an hour ago he was saying he didn't want to miss anything, now Sasuke was hesitating.

Sasuke turned to the blonde with a worried expression Naruto had only seen once, and that was the day they had tried to tell Naruto that Myra was dead. "Naruto," His thought was cut off by the medical equipment starting to flash an ominous red and beep frantically.

Naruto's attention was jerked away from his friend to the woman now beginning to shake violently. Sasuke's fists tightened while Naruto ran to Midoriko's bedside to keep her from completely writhing off the bed. The blonde turned back to Sasuke. "GO! I got this."

Sasuke didn't know what to do. And just when panic was about to set in, a thought occurred to Sasuke. Myra had told him to go back to Sakura. Sakura needed him. Myra didn't, she had Naruto and Myra knew that. "I'll send Tsunade in here as soon as possible." Naruto nodded as he continued to hold Midoriko's quaking body. Sasuke dashed out of one room to the other as if the hounds of Hell were nipping at his heels. He needed to get Tsunade to Midoriko's room. He needed to talk with Tsunade and Naruto about what Myra had told him. Sasuke got close to his wife's room to hear Sakura's screams of pain. Itachi be DAMNED! Sound be DAMNED! His hand was going to ache for MONTHS! But his DAUGHTER was GOING to come first!

0 – 0 – 0

Madara stood in a pavilion high above the pit where he was going to test his creation. The girl had been training for months with her team in preparation for this. There was one last thing he wanted to see before he put his plan into action. The pit below him was at the center of one of the many prisons located deep beneath the earth's surface in Kabuto's territory. The denizens of the prisons were stray ninja caught snooping around, random failed experiments, or just the lost farmer who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Nakamiko and her two male compatriots stood in the center of the pit waiting. The bars of the many prison cells slid open. "Those that can get passed the three in the center of the pit will go free." A voice over a loud speaker bellowed. It didn't take long for the pathetic creatures to start the decent on the three in the center of the pit.

"What do you think sister?" The taller of the boys asked.

Nakamiko turned a bored glare to the boy. She said nothing. She didn't have to. The shorter of the boys smacked the taller. "Keep your mouth shut Deuce. Nami-chan is thinking of a strategy."

Nakamiko's expression never changed. She unsheathed her duel swords and pointed in different directions. "Flank them, I will head strait up the middle."

The two boys nodded and flickered out of sight. The girl gripped her two swords tightly and lowered them to her sides, closing her eyes just before the first set of prisoners got to her. This was such an easy task for her. But the sooner she got it over with, the sooner she would be allowed to get down to the real business at hand, the ultimate destruction of her Master's enemies.

"For you Master." She whispered before she opened her eyes, gathering her chakra around her. The killing intent flowed from her in waves that brought the first few prisoners to their knees, stopping some in their tracks before her. A small smirk of delight flitted across her lips before she took her first steps closer to the prisoners.

Madara watched with a twisted smile of pleasure. She was exquisite. Her fluid movements were seamless. She was dancing for him and him alone. Nakamiko's swords were razor sharp edges that could cut through flesh and bone like butter. Blood splashed across the walls, body parts flew in different directions, the screams of the wounded and dying were music to his ears. He had to take notice that the boys, Deuce and Trace, were doing just as well, but they weren't nearly as pretty to watch. It took about twenty minutes for the Team to slaughter all the prisoners.

Nakamiko was whipping her blades on the shirt of some deceased prisoner when Deuce and Trace walked up behind her. "That was easy." Deuce said, ruffling some blood out of his shaggy black hair.

Trace grabbed Deuce by the arm causing Deuce to wince. "It obviously wasn't that easy if you got hurt."

Deuce pulled up his sleeve just above the "02" tattoo on his shoulder. There was a long scratch that ran across his shoulder. "It's nothing that won't heal in a few hours."

Nakamiko turned to face her brothers. "You let your guard down for a split second and that could have gotten you killed. Do not let it happen again." Just then a large animal jumped out of the shadows and pounced on Nakamiko. The boys were stunned to see their perfect sister be attacked with out her knowledge. The woman rolled with the animal for a few seconds before she bounced up in a standing position, her blades ready to take on what ever attacked her.

The boys rushed take a stance beside her, but she waved them off. They stopped at a dead halt staring at the thing that was circling her. Nakamiko was at the ready to attack the creature staring at her like something it wanted to eat. But there was intelligence behind the feral green eyes glowing in the darkness. It had waited to attack when their guard was down. And more impressive was that she couldn't sense the creature. It seemed like a normal animal. Something she would have passed over as part of the natural background. It growled as it circled her. It charged her and she was ready. There was a splash of blood and a feral howl of pain.

Madara stood in his pavilion most pleased by the teams display. They were ready. _Soon_, he thought to himself. Soon he would be able to put his plan into action. Soon, he would unleash his forces on the Land of Fire. Soon he would take control of the ninja world and then no one would be able to stop him.

0 - 0 - 0

Tune in next time for **Chapter 81: The Unthinkable**

_Naruto stood away from Midoriko's bed side as Tsunade continue to pound on Midoriko's chest. The shrill sound of the monitors gave no sign of changing their eerie monotone note. "CLEAR!" Tsunade yelled as she pumped another electric burst of chakra through Midoriko's chest. The love of Naruto's life jerked as the electricity jolted her heart yet again. He could only stand there. He could only watch in horror. There was a pause in the activity as the medical crew waited. They waited in vain for the monitor to show something, ANYTHING, but nothing came._

_"Please don't die." Naruto whispered. There was still nothing from the monitors. The monitor stayed blinking red lights, straight lines, and urgent alarm blaring in Naruto's ears._

_Tsunade stepped back. "She's gone."_

_Naruto shook his head, tears erupting from his eyes. "No..."_


	81. The Unthinkable

A/N: I don't own anything except the stuff I came up with on my own.

_Previously:_

_"No… Wait, just a moment." Sasuke stood up and got closer to Midoriko. He checked over her monitors and made sure she was still breathing. But there was an undeniable twitch beginning to start in Midoriko's wrist. "Is Tsunade with Sakura?"_

_"Yes, now go." Naruto didn't understand Sasuke's odd behavior. Not an hour ago he was saying he didn't want to miss anything, now Sasuke was hesitating._

_Sasuke turned to the blonde with a worried expression Naruto had only seen once, and that was the day they had tried to tell Naruto that Myra was dead. "Naruto," His thought was cut off by the medical equipment starting to flash an ominous red and beep frantically._

_Naruto's attention was jerked away from his friend to the woman now beginning to shake violently. Sasuke's fists tightened while Naruto ran to Midoriko's bedside to keep her from completely writhing off the bed. The blonde turned back to Sasuke. "GO! I got this._"

**Chapter 81: The Unthinkable**

"I told you I'm fine." Midoriko protested at the door of her room.

Naruto barred the door. "Tsunade said you can't leave until she comes back."

Midoriko pouted. "But Naruto-kun…"

He shook his head negatively. "Nope… Not moving." He had wisely closed his eyes.

Midoriko stamped her foot in frustration. "I just want to see Sakura and the baby before she leaves."

"You have a history of sneaking out of the hospital, and I am not going to let you out of my sight until Tsuande comes back."

Midoriko narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine… Come with me. Then you can make sure I don't sneak out… Not that I would… But you can make sure that I don't."

"You should be in bed." He narrowed his eyes right back at her.

"Ugh! I haven't so much as sneezed in the last three days! I haven't gotten to hold my son. I haven't gotten to venture past those doors because everyone is afraid I'm going to keel over or something. I am not going to break I promise."

Naruto pointed to the bed. "No, now get back into bed before I put you there myself. I will go see if Sakura is up to stopping by for a visit." His scowl softened. "And I will have Minato here when as soon as I can."

"Why can't I just go for a little walk? I need to stretch my legs a little." Midoriko was whining and she knew it, but she REALLY needed to get out of the four white walls she had been stuck in for the last three days.

Naruto scooped her up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Because Tsunade said you were to stay in bed for at least another day."

Midoriko pounded on his back. "I'm not tired. I need to walk. I need to do something other than lay here and let everyone wait on me hand and foot."

Naruto chuckled. She was putting up a bit of a fuss. It was true, Midoriko hadn't twitched in the last three days, but he wasn't taking any chances. He dropped her on the bed. "Stay..."

"I am not a dog!" Midoriko snapped.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "If you're good..."

Midoriko crossed her arms over her chest. "I will not be bribed like a two year old."

Naruto sat in the chair next to her. "Please, Midoriko-chan..."

Tsunade opened the door with Sasuke right behind her. "Midoriko, you can go down the hall to see Sakura before she leaves."

Midorik smiled brightly. "Yeah I get to stare at a different set of walls." She hopped out of bed and hurried out the door. She stopped just before she turned down the hallway and she stuck her tongue out at Naruto.

Everyone chuckled at Midoriko antics, except Sasuke who merely coughed to hide his laugh. "She has recovered better than I expected." Tsunade gazed down the hallway after Midoriko.

Sasuke thought the floor was a better place to be looking. Naruto scowled at the sight of Sasuke.

"What are you doing here Uchiha?" Naruto spat.

"Hn." Sasuke remained impassive and unemotional. _Well he's still angry at me,_ Sasuke thought. _He has every right to be angry._ "I didn't know what was going to happen."

"I don't care. You could have KILLED her."

"It DID kill her." Tsunade interjected. "It's a miracle she's alive."

**[Flash Back]**

_Tsunade entered Midoriko's room not a moment too soon. "DO SOMETHING!" Naruto yelled in a panic she had never heard from him._

"_What happened?" Tsunade rushed to the other side of Midoriko's bed, laying a glowing hand on her chest._

"_I don't know. She was asleep. Teme was keeping an eye on her while I visited Sakura. When I came to get him like you asked, she started to twitch like this. It hasn't stopped. The nurse came in and tried to give her something to make it stop, but nothing is happening."_

_Tsuande nodded and went to work. Reaching out her senses, she could see the problem and her eyes widened in shock. Midoriko's central nervous system was beginning to collapse. There was only a matter of seconds before… Alarm bells went blazing in Tsunade's ears as Midoriko's heart completely stopped beating._

_Naruto's eyes went just as wide and his mouth dropped. Midoriko let out a sharp gasp of breath and went completely limp on the bed. His heart shattered and pain ripped through him like he had never felt before. This wasn't happening. This wasn't the way it was supposed to work. They had made peace with each other. He was going to take her home tomorrow morning and everything was going to be fine. Naruto felt a hand shove him away from the bed. Time slowed as he watched the med staff try to bring her back._

_Tsunade and the team of nurses worked hurriedly. It was only a matter of minutes before there wasn't anything they could do. Maybe if they got her heart beating again. Maybe if they got her breathing again. The doubts started to creep into Tsuande's mind. Even if they did get Midoriko breathing and her heart beating, would she ever wake up? Tsunade started to beat on the girl's chest and one of the nurses had gotten a breath mask. They had four minutes at most to make the attempt._

_How long had it been already? A minute, maybe more, Tsunade hadn't really been keeping track. She couldn't think about that. Starting now, they had three minutes, three very long minutes to try and revive Midoriko._

_One minute, thirty second: Five compressions to one breath, Tsunade counted in her head. There was still no response from the very unconscious girl. She would try CPR for thirty more seconds. "Get the paddles ready!"_

_A nurse wheeled in a cart with an odd looking contraption Naruto had never seen. A second nurse was pulling off Midoriko's clothes to expose her chest. _

_Two minutes: "Charge that thing!" Tsuande stopped pushing down on Midoriko's chest and turned to grab two paddles off the contraption. Two pads were placed on Midoriko's chest, one above her heart and the other just to the left. Naruto kept watching with the hope that this would help._

"_CLEAR!" Tsuande pushed the paddles down on the pads. Naruto heard the "zap" of the electrical energy and watched Midoriko jerk as the bolt of electricity surged through her. There was a brief pause as the medical staff waited. "Charge it AGAIN!" Tsunade bellowed._

_Three minutes: They had "zapped" Midoriko twice more at increasingly higher settings and still nothing. The Medical staff had paused briefly in between each zap of the paddles to be faced with nothing in response from either the girl, or the monitors. They continued with the CPR until the machine was charged again._

_Three minutes, thirty second: "Lady Tsunade, this is the highest setting!"_

"_DO IT!" Tsunade bellowed in frustration. Midoriko jerked again and still nothing. Tsuande threw the paddles to the side and used her bare hands to push against Midoriko's chest. There was a higher voltage she could use to try and start Midoriko's heart. But it would mostly likely kill the girl rather than save her. Tsunade had to try._

_Four minutes: Naruto stood away from Midoriko's bed side as Tsunade continued to pound on Midoriko's chest. The shrill sound of the monitors gave no sign of changing their eerie monotone note. "CLEAR!" Tsunade yelled as she pumped a burst of pure electrical chakra through Midoriko's chest. The love of Naruto's life jerked as the electricity jolted her heart yet again. He could only stand there. He could only watch in horror. There was a last pause in the activity as the medical crew waited in vain for the monitor to show something, ANYTHING, but nothing came._

"_Please don't die." Naruto whispered. There was still nothing from the monitors. The screen was blinking red lights, flat lines, and urgent alarms blared in Naruto's ears._

"_It's been four minutes Lady Tsunade, do you want to continue?" One of the nurses said as if this was a normal occurrence._

_Tsunade stepped back away from the bed. "No… She's gone."_

_Naruto shook his head, tears erupting from his eyes. "No…" He wanted to rage out of control right there in front of everyone. "NO! Don't stop! KEEP GOING! Don't let her die like this!"_

_Tsunade hung her head. "I'm sorry Naruto, but we were…"_

_BEEP, and Midoriko took in a deep breath. BEEP BEEP, Midoriko let out the breath. Everyone turned to the monitors, staring in shock. Her stats were increasing and beginning to steady. The girl took another breath, letting it out slowly. To everyone's amazement, she did it again. Naruto pushed everyone out of the way to get back to Midoriko's bedside. She was breathing, her heart was beating and it seemed like for the first time in the last five minutes, he was able to breath, his heart was beating again. Naruto sat there and took her hand. "Come back to me Rabbit."_

**[End of flash back]**

"Yeah." Naruto scowled. "DON'T do that again." He growled at Sasuke.

"I won't." Sasuke glared back. "She's alive. Be happy with that."

Naruto tried to stay angry, but he could stay angry at anyone right now. He was just too damned relieved to have Midoriko alive and perfectly fine as if nothing had happened at all. "It's a miracle, one that I am not going to pass up. When can I take her home?"

Tsunade shook her head. "I want to run a few more tests before I let her go. Midoriko is going to be upset I'm sure, but I want to make sure there wasn't any permanent damage. But Midoriko isn't the reason I wanted you too in the same place. We have received some disturbing reports from the border villages near Sound. It looks like I have the proof I need to set up a mission."

Sasuke glared at the Lady Hokage. "I'm not going anywhere for a while."

"I can't say anything… I got banned from the mission office." Naruto shrugged.

"Not you two." Tsunade rolled her eyes. "I'm going to send a recon team to gather a little more information. I am also going to see if we can retrieve… What was her name again?" Tsunade turned to Sasuke.

Sasuke shuddered. "Karin. I can give you the locations of some of the laboratories, but she would know where all of them are."

"You wouldn't know where she is?" Tsunade eyed Sasuke.

"Hn."

Tsunade sighed. "Well, if we find her, it will help our cause greatly. If not, we will have to go with what little information we have."

"I wanna go on that mission." Naruto pouted.

Tsunade smiled inwardly, but did not show any outward signs of her smile. "Naruto, I am sure you will be able to convince Midoriko of the importance of the mission. She may be more help than you realize."

0 - 0 - 0

Midoriko knocked on the door and entered Sakura's room almost silently. Sakura looked up from the baby she held in her arms and smiled. "Hello." The pink one whispered.

"Hello yourself, mom..." Midoriko smiled. "I thought I would come by and see my niece."

"Oh so you didn't want to see me?" Sakura chided in a mock tone.

Midoriko laughed silently. "I wanted to see how you were doing too." She sat in the chair next to Sakura. "So how does it feel to be a mom?"

Sakura gazed over Saiyuki's sleeping face. "I like it."

Midoriko shook her head. "You say that now, but after the first hundred diapers, and a million loads of laundry," the raven haired woman smirked. "You still feel that way."

"Tsunade tells me she is going to let you go home today." Sakura grinned. "Have you told him yet?"

Midoriko looked innocently at the woman in bed. "Have I told who what?"

"Myra…" Sakura eyed her friend. "I know it's you remember? You slipped and told me Saiyuki really wanted to be changed and wasn't hungry."

"Maybe I wanted you to know. You were the only person that didn't treat me like a child with a terminal disease. So to be honest, I didn't have a reason to not tell you." Myra grinned like a cat that ate the canary. "Besides, if I tell Naruto now, there would be lots of red faces. So I don't want to spoil it for him, or spoil it for me. Hell no I'm not telling him just yet. I have a week to play catch up with Naruto and I'm going to milk it for everything I can."

"So what exactly happened? How did you survive?" Sakura asked with enthusiastic curiosity.

"I didn't survive. I died. The cool thing is that I came back." Myra shrugged. "It was just after Sasuke tried to reach through the barrier. The telepathy we share is stronger than I thought. It started a cascade failure I couldn't stop."

**[Flash back]**

_It was cold. It was dark and there was nothing. Not even pain. So this is what it's like to die? Midoriko thought while she floated in the void. There weren't the sounds of blaring alarms, or beeps of the monitors, just the black void of death. Then she could feel her back pressed against a cold floor. She was lying down she guessed. Light started to filter back into her vision, though her eyes were closed, Midoriko knew if she were to open her eyes, she would see light._

"_Get up." The voice said in a commanding and confident tone. Midoriko had heard that voice so often before, but this time it was clear, unhindered by the steel doors of her minds._

_Midoriko blinked her eyes open to the bright light. "Where am I?"_

"_Not important right now, getting up is more important." Myra was standing over Midoriko with a panicked look._

_Midoriko blinked again to clear the fog from her eyes and then blinked again for good measure. "Oh Kami! I __**am**__ dead."_

_Myra rolled her eyes. "Not yet, but we will be if you don't get up." She held out a hand to the woman still lying on the floor._

_Midoriko stared at the offered hand and then looked away. "What's the point? I'm dead. I died. I can't feel my body moving or breathing."_

_Myra huffed angrily. She was in no mood to explain anything. "Okay, so we're mostly dead, which means we're slightly alive."_

"_We?" Midoriko asked still confused. She looked up at the woman standing over her and dawning comprehension etched across her face. "M-Myra?"_

"_No… The Easter Bunny."_

_Midoriko frowned. "I don't think this is a good time for jokes." The woman on the floor started to stand._

_Myra helped Midoriko stand the rest of the way and shrugged. "In any stressful situation, making a wise crack to break the tension is always a good thing. Besides, you should be use to my crazy sense of humor. Now if you don't mind, I would like to get out of here."_

_Midoriko looked around. It was as if they were in a pocket of light surrounded by inky blackness. "Where is here?"_

"_Here is the Ethereal, or at least a small pocket of it. Now there isn't much time…"_

"_I can see you and I can hear you more clearly because I'm dead?" Midoriko just didn't seem to get what was going on._

_Myra growled at Midoriko in annoyance. "Here is the short story. We ARE dead at the moment. My… Our heart stopped beating and we stopped breathing a few minutes ago. We have about two more minutes before death is permanent."_

"_What can we do?" Midoriko seemed to look completely lost. "We're dead. The kill seal finally broke."_

"_No… It didn't… Well it did." Myra waved her hands around frantically. "It's complicated, but the gist of the story is this. The Kill seal never got a chance to go off. A flood of memories were released when Sasuke breached the walls of our mind. The final blow came when I responded to him. The seals had already been stressed. The breach cause a cascade failure unrelated to the Kill Seal. BUT said cascade failure was going to trigger the Kill Seal at any second, so I forcibly stopped my heart thus causing a complete shut down."_

_Midoriko stared at Myra confused. "That makes no sense."_

"_We live… How's that for sense?" Myra glared back._

"_But how?"_

"_We rise from the dead of course." Myra took Midoriko's hand. "Look, you and I are one person. Our personalities were never meant to be separate for this long. The instant our heart stopped beating the Kill Seal failed and vanished. The tattered remnants of our mind can't be whole unless we agree to it. You have to let me out."_

_Midoriko paled. "But… But if I help you get out… Then… What happens to me?"_

_Myra hadn't really thought about that. What would happen to Midoriko. She had taken on a life of her own, but she was still nothing more than a piece of Myra's own personality. "You and I are the same person. You are my bright and shiny girly girl side that likes sunshine and ponies. You are the normal life I desperately wanted. I am the memories, the emotions, the past, and everything else that makes us who we are."_

"_So I am nothing more than a shadow?" Midoriko looked up at Myra with tears streaming down her face._

_Myra smirked. "I wouldn't say a shadow. You are the voice of reason I tend to ignore ninety percent of the time. But you are very real. WE are very real. I can't do this without you and you won't survive the coming war without me."_

_Midoriko seemed to steady herself. "You can keep Minato safe. You can help Naruto fight this storm that is coming?"_

"_No, WE will keep them safe and WE will stop Madara from hurting anyone else. I need you and you need me."_

_There was feeling of warmth that came over Midoriko and she stared at Myra for a few more moments. Everything till now had felt like a dream that wasn't real. She had never felt real. There was always something just beyond Midoriko's reach and Myra had been that something. Myra was the answer to feeling whole. Myra was that part of her mind and her past that was missing. The fire and drive that made her do what she did. Midoriko smiled and sighed contentedly. She finally understood and accepted the truth. Midoriko exploded into millions of twinkling motes of light. "Then I leave it to you, Myra Ravenheart."_

_The motes of light swirled around Myra and then streamed into her visage. There was a moment of pain and the blackness again. Myra seemed to float in the void for another eternity, but then she could feel her body and the people around her. Myra was in full control again. She willed her heart to start beating again. She pulled the strength from anywhere she could to force her to breathe._

_She screamed inside her own head and then she felt the first pulse shudder the quiet of her body. Myra took her breath that first deep breath and let it out slowly. Two more beats of her heart and another breath. After a few seconds her heart was beating on its own and she was breathing without having to will herself to do so. Myra felt Naruto so close. He took her hand and like a call throughout every fiber of her being. "Come back to me Rabbit." He whispered. Myra wanted to get up right then and there, but her body wouldn't respond. She was just too tired. She would sleep for now. Sleep was a good thing._

**[End flash back]**

"A couple of hours later I woke up. Tsunade was shocked to say the least. I asked if anyone got the license plate of the semi truck that hit me. It wasn't long after her first look at me that she figured out I was me again."

"Myra..." Sakura raised a serious eyebrow.

"Midoriko, Pinky... Call me Midoriko, at least for a while longer." Myra smirked.

Sakura shook her head and let out a sigh. "What are you going to do about Minato for the next few days?"

"Shizune has Minato right now in Tsunade's office. He's been there since early that first morning. Tsunade had Naruto take him there just in case. Tsunade is going to take him, until my dad gets here. Then my dad is going to keep Minato. I have a year to make up with Naruto and I need to let him know it wasn't his fault."

Sakura hugged the baby close to her. "My... Midoriko... What is going to happen with Sound?"

"I'm not going to lie to you Sakura. I am going to need Sasuke on this one. It's going to be a joint venture between Konoha and Ravenheart Industries. As for what is going to happen? I don't know. I don't like to plan that far ahead." Myra looked away. "Naruto is coming to see what I'm up to. Sasuke isn't far behind him."

"I don't want for Sasuke to go." Sakura looked over Saiyuki. The Pink one understood the life of a ninja as much as anyone else. She was a ninja after all. But things were different now, and the thought of loosing Sasuke in a battle where she wasn't able to go didn't sit well with her.

"I know Pinky. I know. But don't worry about that now. Like I said…" The door burst open and Naruto was glaring at Myra, whom he thought still to be Midoriko. Myra changed her facial features ever so slightly and smiled up at him. "Do I have to go back to my prison cell now?"

"Yes." Naruto crossed his arms in front of him. "Tsunade wants to do her final check and if everything checks out, she said you can go home with me."

Myra sighed happily. "I would like that."

Sakura blinked several times. She was actively trying to sense the Ravenheart girl and it was different from when she first walked in. Myra hadn't been suppressing her chakra, and Sakura could sense her before she walked in. Now that Myra was back to playing Midoriko, the pink one really couldn't tell the difference between Myra and the background noise. Myra was there, Sakura could see the woman, but there was no trace of her, not even a hint that Myra had been in the room. "Midoriko..."

Myra turned. "Yes Sakura?" She smiled innocently.

"Um... " They all heard small hiccups followed by soft gurgles. Sakura looked down at the little girl in her arms.

"Tell me later. I'll bet she's wet and a bit hungry." Myra kept her smile and turned said smile to Sasuke. "She's beautiful. Congratulations daddy." She smirked and pulled Naruto back to her hospital room.

Sasuke had a serious look of contemplation on his face, like he always did when he was trying to figure something out. _She's giving off the same static as before, but that is the same thing she said to me when…_ His thoughts went deeper. Midoriko was acting the same, bright and cheerful with a sense of naiveté, but there was something that was just different enough that made him think.

Sakura had started to feed Saiyuki when she gazed over to her serious husband. Sasuke had taken it pretty hard that he had possibly caused Myra's death. When Tsunade had first come back to the delivery room and said she was alive, but they didn't know if Midoriko was going to wake up, Sasuke had immediately confessed to trying to contact Myra. It had worked, he said and he promptly explained to Tsunade Myra's insistence in the destruction of Sound. Sasuke had talked with Sakura before he mentioned retrieving Itachi from the small hospital outside the village. They had agreed, Sasuke and Sakura that no matter what may happen, bringing Itachi home was dangerous at best, but the right thing to do. Together they would protect each other.

Sakura sighed. "You're thinking too much Uchiha... Why don't you tell me what you're thinking about and see if I can help?"

Sasuke hated when she did this to him. Sakura always knew when he was trying to figure something out. He wanted to piece things out alone and not worry her; however, there were those rare occasions when his wife could see things he couldn't and give him the right perspective, most of the time, she just derailed his train of thought. "I was just thinking if Midoriko will ever remember now. According to Tsunade, the seals are gone and she's out of danger, but she doesn't seem to remember anything. I still hear static when she's around. I don't feel that family connection I had with her. It bothers me."

Sakura smiled knowingly. _So she can mask it even from him_. "It will work itself out. Give it a little while, she may surprise you. Midoriko is acting more like Myra, isn't that enough?"

Sasuke smirked. "Hn."

"So it isn't enough?"

"Hn."

"That isn't an answer. What do you want her to do Sasuke? Run around the village laughing at that serious face of yours and call you that deplorable name?" Sakura huffed. "I swear sometimes I wonder who you like more."

Sasuke sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around Sakura and Saiyuki. "Now you stop." Sakura had doubts about his relationship Myra and he knew Sakura needed him to reassure her. "You're annoying." He kissed her on the temple.

Sakura relaxed and let out a sigh. "I love you too, Sasuke-kun."

0 - 0 – 0

"OH MY GOD!" Myra screeched as she walked into the house. There was a mess beyond messes. There were empty ramen containers, trash, empty baby bottles, soda cans, scrolls, books, a dirty diaper or three, laundry that smelled like it had to be a few weeks old, and god only knows what else strewn about living room. She turned a wicked glare to Naruto, who was cowering behind her. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY HOUSE!?"

"I'll clean it up." The blonde said meekly. "I was a little distracted." Nartuo smiled at her thinking that maybe she wouldn't kill him.

"Distracted?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow. "I was gone for a few days! Not a year." Myra dropped the first hint.

Naruto rubbed the back of neck nervously. "Well without Minato here, and they kept kicking me out of the hospital to come back and shower and sleep… I just didn't have the…"

Myra closed her eyes and put up a hand to stop him. "Save your excuses."

Naruto wisely raised his hand in surrender. "Okay, okay, I said I'd clean it up."

Myra took a deep breath to calm her ire. It was a bad idea. "What died?" Her face contorted into a look of disgust and she put her hand over her nose to stop the stench. The woman dropped her bag in the front hall and raced into the kitchen. Not ten seconds later Myra exited the kitchen with her head held high and Naruto could see she was trying NOT to be angry.

"I am going to go change my clothes. When I get back, there had better be a few more of you to help with this disaster. I am NOT allowing Minato to come home to this… PIG STY." Myra ground out.

Naruto, on the one hand, was trying not to burst into hysterical laughter. On the other, he felt a little guilty that he had let the house become such a mess. But he hadn't lied when he had told Myra he was distracted. She was more important than the house. She was more important than anything. The house work could wait. Once she was awake, then he would worry about the house.

The blonde looked about the disheveled living room and shook his head. "I'm a pig when left on my own." He made the hand seals he needed, creating four more of him in a puff of smoke.

0 – 0 – 0

Myra had planned everything perfectly, and no one suspected anything. Myra didn't like pretending that she was still Midoriko, but it would work out so much better this way. If it all worked out right, Myra would have Naruto all to herself for a few days and Minato would be in the care of one of the other people that knew Myra was Myra again. It was the truth after all. Her brush with death was a miracle. Myra had woken up several hours later complaining of a headache and promptly fell back to sleep. It was mid morning when she found Tsunade sitting next to her with a scowl. Myra had told Tsunade about stopping her own heart to bypass the Kill Seal. Tsunade, though extremely upset by Myra being so reckless, had agreed to keep her secret for the moment. From then on, Tsunade ran every test she could think of and even equipped Myra with a chakra inhibitor to aid in the deception.

Myra didn't want to tell Naruto the good news just yet. She had wanted the all clear from Tsuande first. One of the first fears Myra was faced with was a possibility that her return wasn't permanent. The last thing she really wanted to do was tell Naruto, have her be trapped again, and have it all taken away from both of them. It was breaking her heart to see him this way. He was acting as if he was extremely happy about the reconciliation with Midoriko. Myra knew the truth. He may have been happy about getting closer to Midoriko, but he still had doubts and misgivings about the idea. There was a line he wasn't going to cross. At least not until she pushed that line. And that is exactly what she planned on doing.

They had finished cleaning the house in relative silence. She had avoided him and Naruto (and clones) had avoided her. Although she caught him on several occasions catching a glimpse of her as she reached for something, or bent over to pick something up off the floor. Of course she stole a look every once and a wile too. She wasn't blind after all. They finally finished cleaning up the house when she chose that exact moment to start her seduction. "Naruto-kun, I'm going to take a shower and wash all the grime off, do you think you could run out and grab dinner?"

They met face to face in the hallway as she was coming out of her room with her towel. Naruto smiled. Since she had woken up she had very decidedly done two things, not allowed him to touch her exposed skin, or let him look at her directly in the eyes. These two things were a dead give away to her return. Myra kept her eyes to the floor. "What do you want?" He answered her.

She shrugged. "I don't know… Ramen?"

To excited to really think anymore about it, Naruto dashed towards the door. It was a second later when he peaked around the corner of the hallway. "Pork or Beef?"

"Ah… Chicken actually." Myra smiled and pushed a stray bit of hair behind her ear.

"I'll be back in a flash." He grinned and she heard the door slam shut.

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto opened the door of the house and his senses were hit with so much that he wanted to cry. The first thing that hit his nose was the sweet smell of pork and chicken ramen, still hot from Ichiraku's that he was carrying with him. Midoriko had attempted ramen, and it was passable, but it wasn't Ichiraku's. He headed for the kitchen to deposit the procured dinner. He started to set out the tasty treats when the steam from Midoriko's shower assaulted his nostrils. The sweet smell of that blasted soap that she loved ignited a fire he had been trying to put out for months. _I thought I got rid of all that stuff!_ He cursed himself.

Naruto closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He wanted to saver that smell for just a moment longer. She wasn't anywhere near him to notice he was taking in her sent. Naruto growled in frustration when he heard her coming down the hall. Myra walked into the kitchen wearing Naruto's t-shirt, hitting her at mid thigh, with her hair up in a towel. She had walked in the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to pull out the pie she had baked in the midst of cleaning. The blonde watched her with his eyes, and something else, bulging. She knew he was staring and she was ignoring him on purpose because Midoriko wouldn't have noticed he was there.

KAMI! She could ignite fires in him that had long been stamped out. Naruto closed his eyes and turned away from the girl. "Midoriko… I'm back."

Myra squeaked. "Oh, Naruto-kun!" She started to pull the shirt lower and set the pie on the table. "I wanted to be out of the shower before you got home." She lowered her eyes. "I-I know what it tends to do to you."

Naruto winced. He had hoped she hadn't noticed. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable with him, even though she could make him feel like a pervert. Course there were a lot of things that were happening tonight that made him uncomfortable. _Wait a minute THAT WAS MY SHIRT!_ Naruto took a deep breath, not a good idea, but he had to breathe to keep calm. "Midoriko-chan, when are you going to bring Minato home?" He still hadn't opened his eyes, so he couldn't see Myra edging closer.

"Lady Tsunade said she wanted to spend some time with him and give me some more time to recuperate. So I agreed. I would have asked you, but you weren't there when she asked, and didn't think you would mind, because if…"

Naruto waved his hand to cut her off. He breathed in and she was closer to him. _Oh Kami…_

Myra watched the blonde waver and a small smile crept across her lips. She could feel him struggling with his own desires and it fueled her own to press on. She replaced the smile and started to pout. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun. I thought it would be nice if maybe you and I got some time without Minato." She had intentionally left the comment open to interpretation.

Naruto's eyes sprang wide open. It was only a moment and it was just enough to see the pout on her face. Naruto jumped backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet. He shut his eyes tight again. "M-Mid-doriko!" he had his hands up in front of him.

Myra tilted her head and couldn't help the grin on her face get a little wider. "I thought it would be nice to have some peace and quiet for a while. I need the time to relax and I thought since you had been so stressed I thought maybe you would want to spend some time with Sasuke-san training or even Kiba-kun." She turned her voice very sad. "I thought I was doing something right for a change." She turned around and pretended to cry.

Naruto felt like a heel. She was the one who just got out of the hospital, and she was the one that needed the time to not worry about a screaming kid. Not that Minato screamed, but it was the thought that counted. Midoriko had tried to do something nice for him and he was thinking with his other brain, taking her intentions to another level.

Oh if Naruto only knew what depths of depravity Myra had in mind when she had told Tsunade Minato was staying with her for a few days. In all honestly, Myra wanted to jump into his arms and devour him, but she was way to curious to know how much it was actually going to take for him to completely loose control of his sanity.

Naruto sighed deeply. "Midoriko-chan, I'm sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm just a little… frustrated at the moment."

Oh yes he was frustrated and she could feel it. Myra stopped mock sniffling. "Is there anything I can do to make it so you are less frustrated?" Try as she might, her tone came out a little more seductive than she had intended. Ok, so she was frustrated too.

Naruto wondered where Kyuubi was at this particular moment, because that damn horny demon would have been making snide comments right about now. THAT would have at the very least kept him thinking about other things. But there wasn't another voice in his head at the moment to keep his mind distracted from her. Fighting enemy ninja was easier than quelling his wants and needs. Naruto was sorely tempted but he couldn't allow himself to faultier. "No… It's something I have to deal with on my own."

"Oh…" Her voice sounded so small and so far away. "All right then." She picked up her bowl of ramen. "I will take this and go read the rest of my book then. In the mean time, you need to eat before it gets cold." Her frame disappeared out of the door way.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. Food, he could focus on the food. That would get his mind off of the tightening problem in his pants. He waited a few moments before he sat at the table. The smell of ramen was a sweet contrast to the lingering smell of Midoriko's body soap. The luscious smell of the body soap tickled his nostrils which triggered the memory of a particular afternoon of sport. His groin throbbed with the memory. Food… Became the mantra in his mind to keep him going any further.

Naruto finished his ramen before he noticed the pie sitting on the table. He cut him a slice and put it on the plate. The first bite was like an explosion of taste. It was the type of pie that could bring everything back into focus and make everything right with the world. Naruto finished the rest of the slice and was licking the plate when something dawned on him. Midoriko hadn't achieved this kind of pie. She had come close, but it was the way she stirred the filling, or even the love she put into making the crust. The blonde had never understood it, but the only person that could make pie that could chase away every problem was Myra. Naruto glanced down the hallway to the bedroom.

Myra had waited for this moment. He was sitting in the kitchen contemplating the pie. Myra pulled the towel off her hair and shook the mass of tresses around her face. As Midoriko, she had gone out of her way to purposely NOT do things that would make Naruto uncomfortable. Of course, Midoriko was a bit of a prude in that respect. Then again, Midoriko didn't know what she was missing.

Myra knew exactly what she was missing. It was time to turn it on thick as she could. Myra, still wearing the t-shirt, and not much else, started to walk into the kitchen and was met half way by a very firm bodied male. She bumped into him and was about to fall on her ass. A strong arm wrapped around her and kept her from falling. Naruto was cursing himself as he reactively pulled her close to him, pressing her breasts to his chest. Myra thanked the heavens for the fabric between them. He would have been able to feel the change in her skin. The more heated she got, the harder it was for her to suppress her chakra.

He was breathing heavily and trying to override his want to do so much more than hold her. Myra was trying desperately not to look him in the eyes. Another dead giveaway she didn't want to give away just yet. "Um… Naruto-kun… You can let go now."

"**No."**

Myra blinked. Her heart fluttered. "I-I was just…"

"**You were just what? Coming to taunt me some more? What are you playing at?"**

Myra turned her head away and looked at the base boards in the hallway, noticing that they needed dusting again. "I'm not playing at anything." It was a half truth.

"**Bullshit!"** He snarled. **"You conveniently make sure Minato is gone; you tell me to get ramen for dinner; you make Pie that is deceptively like Myra's and you smell so damn good I could just… Are you trying to drive me insane?"**

"I was not trying to drive you insane." Myra said with a bit of arrogance. A small smile tugged on her lips. "I thought I was succeeding." Her voice was very seductive. She couldn't let him suffer anymore… Ok she didn't want to suffer anymore either.

Naruto grabbed her by the arms and pushed her back to arms length. "**Midoriko, I will not cross that line. I may want to,"** and oh how he wanted to. **"But if I did, I would betray everything that I believe. I know I said you and Myra are the same and I meant it. I just don't think I could take our relationship to that level just yet. In that respect, you are not Myra. I don't care how much you may look like her, or smell like her or even act like her at times. I will protect you with my life, but I can't go there. So… Please… I'm asking this very nicely… For my sanity, and your safety, please stop."** He turned away from her.

Myra faced him with a cocky grin. "So I am to be the mother of your child and a really good friend, but nothing more?"

Naruto winced. **"Yes."**

"I guess if it would be different if Myra were dead."

Naruto shook his head. **"I don't ever want to think like that. As long as you are alive there is hope. But until then, Myra is the bowl of ramen I can never have."**

It was the most romantic thing he had ever said. Myra couldn't help the swell of her heart. "And you waited for me."

"**Always."** He answered absentmindedly and started to take a few steps away from her. It took him a moment. Something in his brain kick started. Midoriko had never asked him to wait. He had never answered her like that. It was one of those silly things Myra would do. She would kiss him on the nose and ask him to wait. He would wait for an eternity if he knew she was going to come back to him. Naruto turned around slowly. He didn't want to be disappointed if it was just a fluke. He shut his eyes and faced her.

Myra let go of the restraints on her chakra levels. She let her own spirit reach out and wrap around him like a warm blanket you curl up with on a winter's day. He could feel her walk to him. The light sound of her footfalls echoing on the wooden floor. He could feel the radiating warmth of her aura envelope him. Then he felt the warm of her hand on his cheek. "Hello Pretty Boy."

"**Rabbit,"** he breathed out with the air he had been holding the moment he realized it was Myra. He opened his eyes and gazed into molten pools of chocolate. He could see the fire and the passion back in her eyes. Myra was finally there staring back at him. He put his hand on hers and he could feel the warmth in her skin, no longer just beneath the surface trying to seep through. A moment of confusion registered on his face.

Myra put her fingers on his lips to hush him. "It's me… I promise."

"**But I thought?"** Naruto pulled her hand to his chest.

Myra smiled. "It isn't an issue anymore. It over and done with. I came back to you, just like you asked me to." She giggled lightly. "I find it extremely romantic that I can parade in front of you half naked and you still have to wear with all to withstand even my charms."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her. **"So you planned this?"**

Myra pressed as close as she could. "Sort of."

"**How long have you been... You?"** He stroked her cheek.

Myra chewed on her lip guiltily. "Since I woke up after the heart attack."

"**You mean to tell me that you have been pretending for the last few days, avoiding me like the plague because why?"** There was a twinge of hurt in his voice.

"Because I didn't want to get your hopes up if it wasn't permanent. So far, it's permanent. There may be a few odd tendencies here and there and the promise of listening to that rational voice, but for the most part, I'm me again." She smiled.

"**Are you sure?"** He was keeping what was left of his control.

Myra hushed him with her fingers again. "Permanent or not, do you really want to waist the opportunity?" Naruto's eyes flashed between hungry red and calm blue. Myra could see him struggling for control. "Let go Love, I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

Naruto didn't have to be told twice. His eyes and changed to smoldering red. His lips crashed on to hers and the world around them faded away. There was passion in the kiss, but it was more a primal need to be one that was driving both of them. She broke the kiss, licking her lips and panting slightly. Myra stepped away from him with a smirk on her face, daring him to follow.

He grabbed her wrist and forcibly pulled her back to him. She was faced with red feral eyes. He growled at her a started to sniff around her face. She smelled SO good, but there was something missing from her scent. It was something that only he could put there. Naruto picked her up in a bridal carry and took her into his room. He tossed her on the bed with a soft thud. Clothes were shucked faster than either of them thought possible. The first time was a pure expression of carnal need. No pleasantries, no foreplay, just a guttural desire for oneness with the other. Naruto's roar nearly brought the house down around them.

They would lay there panting for a while before the want to be together would bring them to soaring heights, just to tumble down the cliff. Between her screams of ecstasy and his triumphant roars, the neighbors thought there was a battle going on within the house. In the end, they collapsed on top of each other, sated for the moment. Naruto pulled the blankets over them and relished in the feel of her hair fanned over his chest and shoulder. Myra's body melded next to his and their legs entangled with each others. Her head lay peacefully on his chest. Before he completely allowed sleep to claim him, he buried his nose into her hair. Her scent was still uniquely hers, but that missing something was finally there and he finally understood what was missing for her scent. He was missing from it. A lazy grin spread across his face. She was his and his alone. Finally, pulling her as close as possible, Naruto could sleep.

0 - 0 - 0

_Next time: Chapter 82: Rabbits, Foxes, and Snakes Oh my..._

_Myra rolled her eyes. "Come on Jim. The fur ball is sealed INSIDE of Naruto. Naruto isn't the Kyuubi."_

_"He still smells like a kitsune. YOU smell like a kitsune. Father is NOT going to be happy about this." Jim regarded Myra through narrowed eyes._

_Naruto was still laughing hysterically. Myra, so named "Rabbit" because of her speed and agility, had rabbits as her summon animal that just so happened to be her totem animal as well. Myra twitched her nose in annoyance. "Jim… I fell for the person, not his demon."_

_Jim had opened the plastic container and pulled out a large slice of cake. "If he ever tries to eat you, don't call me to get you out of that mess. I will simply point, laugh, and watch him devour you."_


	82. Rabbits, Foxes, and Snakes Oh my

**A/N:** *Bows several times over again* I am so sorry it took so darn long to update. But you have to understand that the last few months have been extremely stressful. First, my lap top died... I mean blue screen of DEATH. After some minor tinkering with my lap top and a brand new OS later, I got to do my really bad impersonation of Dr. Frankenstein and I screamed to the world "IT LIVES!". However, I lost EVERYTHING. I lost my backup. I lost so much it's sad really. But no time to cry over spilled milk. Moving right along... Then I wrecked my truck. I'm fine, there were no injuries in the accident. Fighting with two different insurance companies, the body repair people and the car rental place was not fun. It took my insurance company almost three weeks to tell me they were totaling out my truck. Then I had to stress over getting a new car. I did manage to get a nice car that I am learning to love. It isn't my truck, but I'll live. THEN, I got the flu. Not H1N1, but the flu none the less. I'm still hacking up a fur ball every now and then. Now with that out of the way and life returning to somewhat normal, just in time for the holidays, I will get out of the way and get on with it.

**Previously:**

_Naruto narrowed his eyes at her. **"So you planned this?"**_

_Myra pressed as close as she could. "Sort of."_

_"**How long have you been... You?"** He stroked her cheek._

_Myra chewed on her lip guiltily. "Since I woke up after the heart attack."_

_"**You mean to tell me that you have been pretending for the last few days, avoiding me like the plague because why?"** There was a twinge of hurt in his voice._

_"Because I didn't want to get your hopes up if it wasn't permanent. So far, it's permanent. There may be a few odd tendencies here and there and the promise of listening to that rational voice, but for the most part, I'm me again." She smiled._

**And now:**

**Chapter 82: Rabbits, Foxes and Snakes... Oh my.  
**

Myra had woken up, despite her aching body and the extremely warm bodied male in bed with her. However, her stomach was complaining loudly, and she was sure it was a matter of minutes before Naruto would be awake and hungry as well. She exited the bathroom, donning her purple silk bathrobe and pulling her hair back in a pony tail.

Myra was rummaging in the fridge when she came across a small bowl of rice, veggies, and fried shrimp. Her eyes widened with the realization that there was someone very important she had forgotten. She grabbed the bowl. She stepped outside into the garden and sat on the deck. She didn't have to wait long for the sleek fox to come out from his den under the pagoda.

"In his defense he didn't know I was feeding you." She smiled.

The fox tilted his head and blinked at her, but said nothing.

"Why don't you come inside and eat like a hu... person. I'll make something a little more appetizing than left overs." She got up and walked away, but left the door open for him.

After a few minutes the human form Kyuubi walked in the kitchen looking a bit baffled. _**"I am..."**_ He paused for a moment trying to choose his words carefully. _**"Pleased to see you are feeling better."**_

Myra smiled. "I'm pretty happy about it too." She set the waffle batter down on the table. "I am glad you didn't intrude last night."

The Kyuubi crossed his arms and looked away as if he didn't care one way or the other. _**"I was out hunting and by time I came back I was tired."**_

Myra let out a sigh and poured some batter on to the waffle iron. She knew he was hiding how he truly felt. The emotions were buried beneath years of anger and mistrust, but she knew the Kyuubi had a certain fondness for her. He also had respect for Naruto, even though the great Lord of the Ethereal would never admit it to anyone. "Thank you. I appreciate the time alone with him."

"_**Don't thank me just yet, girl, you have much explaining to do."**_

Myra set a plate in front of the Kyuubi. "Oh, what is there to explain?"

"_**Little Kit."**_

"I never thought I would have to explain the story of the birds and the bees to the Great Lord of the Ethereal." She giggled.

The Kyuubi rolled his eyes. _**"He is no ordinary child."**_

"No he isn't." She agreed.

"_**What did you do?"**_

Myra took the first waffle off the iron, setting it on his plate. "I trained him in the Ethereal."

Feral red eyes widened in complete astonishment. "_**You what?"**_

"I trained him in the Ethereal." She said with a knowing grin. "It's something I did when I was younger."

"_**How old is he?"**_ Kyuubi narrowed his gaze.

"He is a child of three months."

"_**Do not play coy with me girl. You know exactly what I asked you."**_

"You asked me how old my son was and I answered you truthfully. I know the Laws and I must obey them. I cannot tell a lie. I may bend the truth, but I cannot speak a falsehood. Perhaps it is your question that needs revision." Myra set another waffle on his plate.

Kyuubi rolled his eyes. _**"How old is Little Kit mentally?"**_

Myra sighed. "His Ethereal image is a human boy of eight or nine years old. When I saw him last, he was extremely upset because the control over his physical body was taking far too long. He wanted to know if there was something that could be done."

"_**You have altered his mental development enough. Accelerating his physical growth is possible, but not recommended. I would not want to hurt the boy."**_ Kyuubi scratched his chin.

Myra sighed sadly. "Minato will be disappointed, but he will understand."

Kyuubi stared at his plate of waffles. _**"You should be warned, living humans are not allowed entry into the Ethereal."**_

"Except in dreams." She corrected the Kyuubi. "Children dream as early as eight weeks in the womb. I simply did what was necessary to give my son a head start in life." Myra countered. "And unless Madara is a ghost, Madara travels through the Ethereal unhindered each time he shadow walks."

"_**That is something that needs to be changed."**_

Myra raised an eyebrow. "Really now? Are you going to revoke the permission you granted him?"

An angry growl slipped past Kyuubi's lips. _**"He tricked me into giving him permission to walk through the veil."**_

"I think tricked is a harsh word. He used your mental state at the time and a lapse in judgment to take advantage of you." She placed another waffle on his plate.

"_**Whichever way you choose to phrase it, girl, it sounds like it is. He tricked me."**_ Kyuubi lathered his waffles in butter and syrup angrily. _**"But we are getting off topic. I want to start training Little Kit."**_

Myra smirked as she sat down with her own plate of waffles. "I think he would like that, though I don't believe Naruto would approve."

"_**Let me deal with Naruto."**_

"You know, you could offer to train Naruto at the same time." Myra suggested.

The Kyuubi glared at her as he took a large bite of waffle. _**"Why should I offer him anything?"**_

Myra was putting a modest amount of butter and syrup on her waffles. "As limited as it may be, he has given you a piece of your freedom. You owe Naruto something in return."

Putting his elbows on the table, Kyuubi shook his fork at her. _**"You, girl, are infuriating. I am not obligated to do anything for the Brat."**_

"I hate to differ with you Lord Kyuubi, but Naruto gave you limited freedom to give you both the chance for some peace of mind. You have yet to offer anything in return."

The Kyuubi grinned. _**"I gave him you."**_

Myra quirked an eyebrow. "I am not yours to give."

"_**I hate to differ with you, girl, but did you forget? Your previous incarnation bound herself to me, mind, body and soul. Upon her death, I had no claim over her mind or body. I do, however still hold claim over your soul."**_ The Kyuubi looked away from her. _**"I had to let you go. I don't deserve happiness."**_

Myra put her hand on his. "I am not her reincarnation."

The Kyuubi's eyes snapped to Myra's. _**"What are you talking about, girl?"**_

"My great grandmother was still alive after I was born. She died when I was three. Miyako only placed a part of herself into my sub-conscious to warn me and protect me. As far as I know, she has yet to reincarnate, but these are matters to which I am not privy. I would know her if I met her reincarnation." Myra smiled.

It is said, to see the Kyuubi no Kitsune smile it means one of two things. One, you are his next meal, or two you will have good fortune for the rest of your days. Myra suspected she would have good fortune for the rest of her days. Quickly, the Kyuubi replaced his goofy grin with his classic scowl. _**"I will train Naruto as well."**_

Myra inclined her head. "I thank you Lord Kyuubi."

"_**I still would not thank me too quickly, girl. Training Naruto will be a difficult task."**_

Myra chuckled. "For whom? You or him?"

The Kyuubi shook his head and sighed. _**"Both, I would suspect. There is a hard road ahead for all of us. You, girl, should go back to bed. I can tell you are not quite back up to par. Do not jump back into the foray without some additional training of your own. It might prove useful."**_

"Thank you for your words of advice. I will take them under consideration."

The Kyuubi stood in his spot and turned to walk out the door back to the garden. _**"Myra,"**_ He paused and Myra stared at his back. He glanced over his shoulder at her. _**"You are much like your great grandmother and she would be proud of you."**_

The kyuubi left the kitchen and she smiled with a long sigh. Then phone rang disturbing the quiet of her morning. Myra sighed again. Although she had asked for the week with Naruto, she knew she was only going to get a few days. But less than twenty four hours she was not happy about. She picked up the phone quickly so not to wake Naruto. "Someone better be dead Fucktard, if not, I will apologize to Sakura for taking yours."

There was silence on the other side of the line for a moment while Sasuke processed her threat. "I doubt you could kill me."

"Wanna bet?" She said with a hint of mischief in her voice.

If Myra had been able to see Sasuke, she would have seen the rare sight of him actually smiling. He was glad to have her back, smart mouth and all. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but it didn't mean that when no one was looking he would allow himself to show it. "We found Karin."

Myra rolled her eyes. "And please explain to me why the Captain of the Konoha Military Police needs to call me for a simple tag and bag?"

"Because there is a problem."

"Ok, there's a problem. You still don't need me to solve it. And when did you find out I was back to being me?"

"You complained once of me being 'too loud'. I heard MANY complaints of you and Naruto being too loud last night." Sasuke smirked. "Now down to business, I need a Death Dealer's expertise in dealing with civilians and Tsunade needs your father to remain here."

Myra went silent as her eyebrows raised in shock. Slowly, a pleased smirk curled on her lips. "So it's THAT kind of problem."

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto woke to a morning of heavenly aromas. His arm contracted and he found that Myra was indeed, awake and cooking up a batch of homemade goodness. He opened his eyes and sniffed at the air. She was baking bread. He honestly didn't know what was better, waking up with her in his arms, or waking up to the smell of fresh baked anything.

Naruto got out of bed rubbing at his eyes and headed for the kitchen. He leaned against the door and just watched her. She was icing a sizable cake with a white frosting. "Who is that for?" He yawned.

"This is for a friend I haven't seen in a long time. I'm going to go get some training done this morning and I need a sparring partner. This is an offering to get that sparring partner. I need blade practice." Myra put the finishing touches on the cake. She pulled another frosting bag and piped a large orange carrot on top of the cake.

Naruto blinked and realized Myra was in her training gear. Those lovely low rider black jeans and mesh shirt under the purple halter top. The blonde glanced back towards the door. By the door was a long bladed weapon, katana he thought, still in its sheath and her all important gym bag full of tricks. "First off, I thought you were on leave for at least this week. Why the need train all of a sudden?"

Myra paused for a moment. "Something came up and as much as I wanted to do nothing but stay in bed this week, this is going to be more important. I'll make it up to you I promise."

Naruto sighed disheartened. "Um… You aren't training with Teme this morning are you?"

Myra looked up from the carrot cake. "I saw Sasuke yesterday. He isn't happy with me at the moment, but I do have to talk with him later. And the last time I checked, twenty four hours doesn't constitute a long time. Also, I don't know his feelings about carrot cake." Myra chuckled.

"Carrot cake? You can make cake out of a vegetable?" Naruto tilted his head.

"Yes, just like you can make pie out of bread dough, a few tomatoes, some cheese, and a little pepperoni. It is amazing what the Italians did with practically nothing." She finished icing the last of the smaller carrots on the cake. She put a plastic cover over the cake. "Breakfast is on the stove. I made pigs in a blanket for you." She started to pick up the cake.

"If you can wait a few minutes, I'll go with you. I'd like to meet your friend." Naruto walked over to the stove stuffing a pancake covered sausage in his mouth.

Myra had to think about that for a second. She didn't know how her "friend" was going to take to having a "fox" around. "Um... I don't know Love… Jim Bo can be… Temperamental." That was describing it politely. "He hasn't seen me in a long time and the cake is a peace offering."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "He? Is this an ex lover I should be worried about."

"Oh god, no… Well…" Myra thought about that for a second longer than Naruto liked. "No. It was… um… There might have been a time when… but now… No…" Myra stammered. She smiled very wide and with lots of teeth. "I have you." She kissed him on the nose.

0 – 0 – 0

"YOU'RE INVOLVED WITH A KITSUNE!" The rather tall, human looking rabbit yelled at Myra.

Myra took a step back from her friend. He was dressed in a black hiori and black hakama pants. His long grey and pink ears were tied on the top of his head, and he had a very long katana blade with him. He was a samurai warrior rabbit.

"Jim… I brought carrot cake." She held up the plastic cake container.

"That is beside the point. I do appreciate the cake by the way, but I cannot see past this indiscretion. He is a kitsune. Not just any kitsune, but THE kitsune." Jim took the plastic container of cake.

Myra rolled her eyes. "Come on Jim. The fur ball is sealed INSIDE of Naruto, most of the time. Naruto isn't the Kyuubi."

"He still smells like a kitsune. YOU smell like a kitsune. Father is NOT going to be happy about this." Jim regarded Myra through narrowed eyes.

Naruto was still laughing hysterically. Myra, so named "Rabbit" because of her speed and agility, had rabbits as her summon animal that just so happened to be her totem animal as well. Myra twitched her nose in annoyance. "Jim… I fell for the person, not his demon."

Jim had opened the plastic container and pulled out a large slice of cake. "If he ever tries to eat you, don't call me to get you out of that mess. I will simply point, laugh, and watch him devour you."

Myra quirked an eyebrow. "I could take that several ways. I will assume you mean literally and promise to never call should he try to eat me."

"Very well." Jim said through a mouth full of carrot cake. "Your cooking skills are improving. Now let's see if your skills with a blade have improved."

Naruto sat on the side lines watching Jim the rabbit take on Myra the human. It wasn't much of a fight. Jim was the much better swordsman. It wasn't long before Sasuke entered the training field and Jim halted the practice. "I smell a snake." He whispered to Myra.

Myra let out a large sigh. "That would be Sasuke."

"You are involved with a snake as well? Father is definitely NOT going to be pleased with you."

"Yeah, yeah… Jack is going to be pissed off. What else is new? And when has Jack ever been afraid of a snake or a fox?" Myra pushed Jim to one side.

"The snake, I believe father could handle quite easily. The Kyuubi, on the other hand, is the Lord of the Ethereal and King of all Demons. Even father would have issues with him." Jim hung his head.

"Don't worry about it Sensei, Jack will do as Jack likes. Besides, I would like to see the battle of wits between the great Jackalope and the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Myra smirked.

"Indeed that would a battle to see." Jim nodded.

0 – 0 – 0

"What is Myra doing?" Sasuke crossed his arms and watched her practice with the oddly dressed man?

"So when did you figure it out?" Naruto looked over to Sasuke.

"I had an idea at the hospital. I didn't know for sure until late last night. You two are extremely loud."

The blonde smiled broadly. "Sorry… Wait… No I'm not…" Naruto chuckled.

Sasuke let out a sigh. "Well, what is she doing?"

"She's practicing with a friend of hers. His name is Jim. And if you're wondering… Yes… He's a rabbit." Naruto tried to reign in his laughter.

"What?" Sasuke turned to Naruto.

"He's a rabbit." Naruto snorted. "I still can't get that one out of my head."

Sasuke sat down next to Naruto. "What is so funny about a rabbit with a sword?"

Naruto cracked up. "Did you hear yourself? A rabbit with a sword is funny."

"Hn." Sasuke shook his head. He didn't find it humorous at all. Myra and her friend approached Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke looked up at Myra. "I thought you and I were going to discuss…"

Myra interrupted him. "We are. I am just trying to get back into the swing of things. Pick up some training I never finished and most of all, to think. This is my first sword instructor." She gestured towards Jim. "Sasuke Uchiha, Jim Bo. Jim Bo, my cousin, Sasuke Uchiha."

Jim hardly inclined his head towards Sasuke. The Uchiha looked over the large rabbit and finally understood what Naruto was talking about. Rabbits were fairly docile creatures. How could a rabbit strike fear into anyone. A wide smirk came over Sasuke's face. "How are you supposed to learn anything from a rodent?"

"I will remind the snake in the grass that a mongoose is a rodent, and most deadly when provoked by a cobra." Jim grinned.

Myra sheathed her sword. "Please do not start a pissing match."

"I have no intention of pissing anywhere near a snake, or a fox for that matter." Jim sneered as he sheathed his sword as well.

"Hey… I'm on your side, remember." Naruto groused.

Jim rolled his eyes and turned to Myra. "I will take my leave now. I shall inform Father of your… choice." He picked up the left over cake. "If you should need us…"

Myra smiled. "I'll call…" There was a puff of smoke and the anthropomorphic rabbit disappeared.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted. "You can summon rabbits. Why am I not surprised?"

"Because I'm faster than you are and I can out think you and I'm much prettier than you are… Should I go on?" Myra smiled.

Naruto burst into laughter and Sasuke just scowled at Myra. "What are you going to do about Karin?"

Myra was packing her things. "I'm going to do what any good Death Dealer would do, I'm going to do some recon and have a nice little vacation in the process."

Naruto stopped laughing. "Hold a second, what the hell?"

Myra looked up at Naruto. "Oh, I forgot to mention that you and I are going on a little vacation to Matsuri Town. There might be a slight chance that we meet Karin along the way. We're supposed to bring her back for questioning."

It was Naruto's turn to scowl at Myra. "I thought we weren't doing anything for the next week."

Myra zipped her bag. "Well you don't have to go. Sasuke didn't want to go because, well he doesn't like Karin to begin with, and he wants to spend time with Sakura and Saiyuki, which is very understandable. I said I would help because of the crowd that Karin has aligned herself with. It just happens to be my area of expertise."

Naruto looked over to Sasuke. "Okay Teme, spill it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Karin is the head promoter for an underground fight club run by the Yakuza. She's in fairly deep from the intelligence I've received from Myra's father. The problems we are running into are mostly political ones. The attacks on the borders of Sound have increased. Several of the other villages are becoming suspicious of Sound and would certainly like someone like Karin for her information value alone. Currently, she is under the radar of the other villages. Karin is relatively unknown and not everyone knows what she was before she became a fight promoter. The Yakuza don't even know she was a Sound Ninja and one of Orochimaru's most loyal and trusted lieutenants. She has the protection of the Yakuza which is technically out of Konoha jurisdiction."

Myra smirked. "But Yakuza is under the direct jurisdiction of Ravenheart Industries."

"So let me get this straight." Naruto narrowed his eyes at Myra. "We, you and I, are going to Matsuri on vacation."

"Yes." Myra nodded.

"And if we happen to find this underground fight club, then what?" Naruto crossed his arms.

Myra stood up and smiled at Naruto. "We find Karin, grab her and discretely leave Matsuri. Once she's told us everything we need to know, and the labs of Sound are a pile of rubble, we'll let her go back to her fight promoting."

Naruto turned to Sasuke. "You're someone she listens too, talk her out of this."

"Grow a pair of balls Dobe and tell her no." Sasuke jabbed back at Naruto.

Naruto grumbled under his breath and turned back to Myra looking as serious as he possibly could. "You are staying where I can keep an eye on you. You just died. That isn't something you recover from in a few days. You ARE going to take it easy."

Myra chuckled heartily. "Death is usually something you never recover from period." She could feel that he was worried about her. She was a bit worried herself. There was a lot to do in a very short time. The week to play catch up was something she needed as much as he did, but there were more important things at stake. She placed a chased kiss on his lips and let out a sigh. "Seriously though, this should be a walk in the park compared to most other missions your used too."

Naruto glared at her. "No."

Myra raised a thin eyebrow defiantly. "And who's going to stop me?"

0 – 0 – 0

"No." Tsunade scowled at Rai. "What are you thinking? Myra is no condition to be on any mission, even something as easy as this one should be."

"I assure you Lady Tsunade, I am not exactly happy with this situation myself." Rai stood in front of the Hokage's desk.

"Then please tell me why you are requesting this."

Rai sighed. "I am in a very precarious place Tusnade. As her father, I know that Myra is in no condition to do anything until she has regained her strength. I've seen her medical charts. I know her chakra pathways are constricted due to none use over the last year. It will take several weeks of intense training to get her back to the level she was at before the trial.

"As Commander in Chief of Ravenheart Industries, I know how important and invaluable the information this Karin woman possesses could be to the impending invasion of Sound. As you are aware, Sound has annexed a portion of the unclaimed lands between Sound and Waterfall. The Waterfall village has sent a request to Suna and to Konoha for reinforcements to deter a possible attack by Sound."

Tsunade looked slightly shocked. "Where did you get that information?"

"I am well connected Lady Tsunade. Master Jaraiya stressed the importance of having informants. There are R.I. Operatives all over the world. I have received intelligence from our operative inside the Waterfall village as well as our operative in Suna. I overheard the conversation between you and Shizune about the request you received from Waterfall." Rai kept his stoic face.

Tsunade grimaced. "I supposed Gaara doesn't know Persephone is feeding R.I. information."

"I would never ask Sephie to compromise her relationship with Gaara. The information from Suna came from another source. And I resent the implication."

Tsunade sighed. "Fair enough. I apologize."

"What are you going to do about Waterfall's request?"

Tusnade looked at the scroll still sitting on her desk. "What I am going to do is still up for discussion. I am concerned about Waterfall's request, yes, but I am more concerned about Myra's health and well being. You want me to allow her to take on a mission with Naruto as back up."

"Honestly, Lady Tsunade, if Myra takes this mission as a Death Dealer, you have no say if she goes or not. She would not be a representative of Konoha. She will carry no badge of identification as a Leaf ninja. You were the one that came to me for help with this delicate situation. Konoha has their political hands tied behind their back. ANBU could walk into Matsuri and demand to take Karin into custody. The Yakuza could do one of two things, hand her over, or take her deeper into hiding. At which point they would sell her off to the highest bidder. They wouldn't care which village it was as long as they get paid an obscene amount of money.

"Yakuza don't particularly care to get into the middle of a ninja war, but they do like to make money where money is to be made. The sale of information to one side or another is a highly lucrative business and the Yakuza will cash in when they can. I could go on and on for hours about what may or may not happen. The probabilities are endless. The path of least resistance is a R.I. lead undercover operation to infiltrate the Yakuza organization to extract Karin. Once R.I. has her in custody, we can transport her to Konoha safely, quickly and quietly without tipping off the other villages." He took a deep breath.

Tsuande stood up and gazed out the window to the Hokage monument. "I see this was planned before you came to my office."

"The background information, identities, and cover story are already in place, yes. Myra and I discussed the particulars of the mission earlier this morning."

Tsunade turned to glare at Rai. "I am not happy about this arrangement, but as you said, my hands are tied. Naruto will have to leave the village of his own volition, and will be branded a traitor should they be caught by any other village."

"Agreed." Rai nodded and turned to leave her office.

Just before he got out the door, Tsunade stopped him. "And one more thing Rai, it's something I don't like to have to tell you, or ask you, but should they get caught, I can't have Naruto falling into the hands of another village."

Rai smiled. "I would give them a little more credence than that. Where I can't say it won't happen, because it very well could, I don't think they would be captured for very long, and I don't think it would come to that. But just in case, there is a backup plan."

Tsunade let out a sigh. "Good. Then you have a go." The door closed behind the tall man that had become her friend. The Hokage turned back to look to the monument that guarded the village. She could feel something dark hanging over the village, like an omen of bad things to come. She closed her eyes and thought of Jaraiya. _You taught Rai well. You taught Naruto too. Please protect them, for I cannot. _A warm and gentle breeze wrapped around the blonde Hokage in answer to her plea for help. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and she could smell the distinct scent of cologne, sake and oil. Her eyes widened and she turned to see the faint image of white hair and a red over hiori. She blinked and he was gone.

"Jaraiya…" she whispered. Suddenly she felt better about the situation. They were going to be okay.

0 - 0 - 0

**Next time:**

**Chapter 83: The Truth behind the lies.**

The human form Kyuubi burst through the bedroom door and pulled Naruto away from Myra. He then placed himself between Myra and Naruto. He growled at Naruto menacingly. **_"What the HELL are you thinking?"_**

Naruto stood straight. **"I'm stopping this shit now! I will not have her lying to me just to get her way."**

**_"Listen Brat, because I am only going to tell you this once. SHE CAN'T LIE TO YOU. Myra is incapable of lying. The first Law of the Ethereal, 'Speak from the heart, for it knows no lie.' She can bend the truth or leave out certain details, but flat out lie to your face is impossible."_**

**"Why can't she trust me with the truth?!"** Naruto snarled feral blue slits boring into the Kyuubi's red ones.

Myra gazed at the pattern of drops from her tears on the floor. "Stop it both of you." She hiccupped. "Please just stop. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I just wanted to protect you. I thought if you knew the truth, you would do something that would put you at risk, something that could very well get you killed. I don't think I could handle you getting hurt."

*** UPDATE ***

A/N: So things changed just a little... It will all make sense I promise...


	83. The Truth Behind the Lies

A/N: Look! An update... HOORAY UPDATE! Yes, I know, I know... It's been a horribly long time... AGAIN. I have no excuses, or illnesses... or anything like that this time around. But give me a break. Life happens. I will try an update more often, I will. But I have another story starting to stir in my brain, and I want to finish this one before I start on yet another epic. Anyway, on with the story.

As a side note: Reviews make me happy. They aren't required, but they do help motivate me, and the Gods know I need motivation sometimes.

As usual, standard warnings apply.

**Previously:**

_Naruto grumbled under his breath and turned back to Myra looking as serious as he possibly could. "You are staying where I can keep an eye on you. You just died. That isn't something you recover from in a few days. You ARE going to take it easy."_

_Myra chuckled heartily. "Death is usually something you never recover from period." She could feel that he was worried about her. She was a bit worried herself. There was a lot to do in a very short time. The week to play catch up was something she needed as much as he did, but there were more important things at stake. She placed a chased kiss on his lips and let out a sigh. "Seriously though, this should be a walk in the park compared to most other missions your used too."_

_Naruto glared at her. "No."_

_Myra raised a thin eyebrow defiantly. "And who's going to stop me?"_

And now...

**Chapter 83: The truth behind the lies.**

Fighting was becoming pointless. Myra just wasn't listening to him. Naruto had called her father, thinking he would talk sense into her. The blond stood in the hallway and stared with his jaw hanging open as Rai took her side of the issue. Now Myra was packing a modest amount of clothes with a smile, or at least she was trying to.

Naruto was going to stop her. He hadn't figured out how, but he was going to stop her from going on this mission. "You can't go. I won't allow it."

Myra stopped packing and crossed her arms over her chest. "Naruto, I'm going and there isn't anything you can say that will change my mind."

"I'm not going with you then." He grimaced childishly.

"I already said that was fine with me. Your participation is completely optional. Minato can stay with you while I'm gone instead of with my dad. Besides, Little One will like to spend some time with you." She folded a pair of jeans into her suitcase.

Naruto walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her flush against him. "I just got you back and you're running away again."

Myra sighed sadly. "Do you really think I want to go?"

"Yes." He answered in a defeated tone.

"Okay, so I kind of do want to go, but not for the reasons you think." She turned to press up against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I want to go with you and have a chance to be completely alone with nothing to bother us. No Minato, no Fucktard, no ninja crap, just two people on a mini vacation."

"But what about Karin?" He eyed her confused.

"Karin is an unfortunate part of that vacation that does have to be dealt with. Look, as much as I would love to spend some quality time with you and Minato, I can't be selfish. I have to understand that the good of the many outweigh the good of the one. What I want isn't what's good for the rest of the world."

Naruto stepped away from her. "You are going to risk everything to bring back a woman that may or may not have a sliver of information we may or may not need. That's stupid!"

"It isn't stupid Love, it is necessary. You risked everything to bring Sasuke back from the darkness. You were bound and determined to do whatever you had to do to bring him back to Konoha. Was that stupid?" She asked him honestly. Naruto looked away guiltily.

Myra let out a sigh. "I am bound and determined to stop Madara. Karin has a piece of the puzzle, however small that piece may or may not be is irrelevant. In order to see the bigger picture, I will need that piece." Myra turned back to her suitcase.

"This is nuts." Naruto moved to bar her from leaving the room.

She zipped the suitcase closed and pulled off the bed. Myra turned and saw Naruto barring her way. "Please, I don't want to fight about it anymore."

"You aren't seeing reason." Naruto stood at the door to the bedroom.

"You're one to talk."

"This is a bad idea." He crossed his arms.

Myra scratched her forehead, closing her eyes and took a deep breath, effectively calming her frustration. She let out the breath and opened her eyes. "Which part of this plan is a bad one? I'm not saying it's perfect and I'm not saying there isn't room for improvement. It's something that has to be done. We need the information that Karin has. Karin got stupid, or smart depending on your point of view, and got herself involved with the Yakuza. The information she has is extremely valuable in more ways than JUST her knowledge of where the labs and prisons are in Sound." Myra realized she had screwed up after she had said it; however, she hoped Naruto wouldn't try and push it any further, or just missed it completely. She did her best not to show she had let something important slip.

Something clicked inside Naruto's head. Konoha wanted Karin for the information on Sound. But why then would Ravenheart Industries be so keen on wanting to lead the mission to extract Karin? Why were they pushing to go on this mission now when the lead agent was still recovering? What could Karin know that was so damned important? Contrary to popular belief, Naruto wasn't as stupid as people thought him to be. He usually saw the little things that most people looked over. And besides, this was a story concocted by Myra. There was ALWAYS more to the story that she wasn't telling. Naruto KNEW there was more than one motive behind this mission. His face darkened and he narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Why else then?"

For the first time, since he had known her, Myra visibly flinched and paled at his question. There was silence from her for several moments before she lifted her chin to stare directly into his eyes. She opened her mouth several times but could not find the words. Myra shut her mouth and turned away from him.

Anger, rage and disappointment coursed through Naruto's veins. She wasn't going to tell him a damn thing unless he pushed it out of her. He found it strange that she didn't try to evade the question, she simply didn't answer it. There was no fancy half truth or attempt to be sneaky about it. Was it that she didn't want to tell him? Or was it that she couldn't tell him? It wouldn't have been the first time the higher ups had kept information from him for the good of the mission. That thought just served to make him angrier. "You WILL tell me the whole story." The tone of his voice was like the edge of a sharp dagger, and it cut into her deeply.

She could feel the anger and disappointment building within him. Myra may not have been able to read his thoughts, but she had become an expert at reading someone's emotions. The anger was because she was keeping things from him. She could understand that. Myra didn't want him to rush into Sound based on a theory. They needed a plan and Karin could provide vital information to that plan. The disappointment came from his belief that she didn't trust him. On the contrary, she trusted him with her life. Myra knew that he would die to protect everyone in the village if it came to that. But it was that thought that drove her to do what she had to in order to keep him alive.

Naruto would walk head long into Hell and sacrifice himself if he thought for one second it would save one of his friends. Myra didn't want to think about what devil he would make a deal with to protect her or Minato. Heck, Naruto had the most powerful demon in any of the realms that would be happy to trade for his freedom. She knew it would never come to that though. The Kyuubi had changed, and she was glad for it. But it didn't stop her from thinking there was still enough malice and anger left in the Kyuubi that he would take advantage of Naruto's quick temper and self sacrificing nature. It was never that she didn't trust Naruto. She was just never going to let him know that she wouldn't hesitate to risk everything, even her relationship with him, to keep him alive.

As her silence continued, Naruto's anger built to a feverish pitch. He stepped forward with a menacing glance. He started to radiate the menace and anger he was feeling. At first he really didn't understand why she was beginning to squirm. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. She was empathic and could feel his anger. Myra knew he was mad. And he wasn't going to let it go until he got an answer.

The moment he stepped closer, Myra's breath hitched in her throat. "That's not fair." Her voice was a faint whisper and had traces of unshed tears. "It hurts when you do that."

Naruto finally understood more about this situation. His hair fluffed out and seemed to defy gravity. His eyes became dangerous feral blue slits. He allowed the aspects of the Kyuubi he had gained over the last year to manifest. Naruto wanted Myra to understand that he meant business. **"Then tell me what is so important that you would risk everything to bring Karin to Konoha."**

Myra closed her eyes and a single tear fell. Her lips trembled as she tried to answer him. She HAD to answer him. It wasn't something she couldn't ignore. Myra licked her lips and swallowed the lump in her throat. She still hadn't turned to face him, she couldn't, not now. "Karin has knowledge of the Yakuza in the area as well as the names of the higher ranking bosses. She has details of the black market trafficking and possibly knowledge of how Madara is cloning his army."After speaking at such speeds a cheetah would have trouble understanding her, she took in a deep breath hoping Naruto had completely missed the last part of her explanation. She wasn't ready to explain that to anyone, just yet. Myra swallowed the breath. "Now please stop being angry at me."

Naruto stood stock still in surprise. He was amazed she could talk that fast. What amazed him still was that he had caught every single word she spoke. He was surprised for several reasons. The first was that he had shaken Myra to the core, Naruto was a little upset with himself for that, but he wasn't going to let his own emotions betray it just yet. He understood the weakness of her empathy and hated that he had used it against her. Second, _Clones?_ He thought to himself. And the most important surprise was something he just now noticed in both Myra AND the Kyuubi. Asking the same question three times produced a truthful answer. He would test the theory again. Naruto grasped onto his anger and reined it in, but didn't stop radiating it. He merely backed it down a notch. **"What clones?"**

Myra put her hand on the bed to steady herself. He was still angry and directing all of it towards her. It felt like her back was on fire and not in a good way. With her chakra pathways closed off and not where they should be, the control on her empathy was off kilter. She couldn't block out the emotions as easily as she could under normal circumstances. Shutting off the world around her was taking up most of her strength. When Naruto dialed up his anger towards her, she had no defense against it. She had no way to tune it out or block the intense heat he was directing at her. This was the curse of her empathy.

She could feel the world around her in minute detail of temperature. All living things had a spirit of some kind. Even a tree radiated a warm glow if the tree was healthy and thriving. Small animals were usually neutral if there was no danger around. The larger predatory or companion animals the temperature ranges didn't change much. A dog that was angry felt just as hot as a scared cat. In humans, Myra had found the temperature ranges to be the most varied. Sasuke, on most days felt cold, almost emotionally void. But there was a burning flame at his core that made him at least lukewarm. Naruto, who wore his emotions on his sleeve never felt cold to her. He was always warm. When he got angry at anything or anyone, he would become an incinerator, and now that incinerator type heat was directed at her. Any moment, and her skin was going to peel from her back due to the intense heat coming from him.

"It's something that I was going to tell everyone when the time was right." Myra panted out with a sob. "Please stop."

"**What clones, Myra?"** He commanded. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't back down. Naruto had found a way to combat her secretive habit, a habit he would not tolerate.

More tears slipped from her eyes. "Please don't do this." She pleaded.

Naruto planted his feet and dialed his anger up. **"WHAT CLONES?!" **Myra fell to the floor in a heap and Naruto didn't move to catch her. He didn't flinch at her reaction. And he hated himself for doing it.

Myra's breath was shallow and shaky. She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face. She swallowed and took a deep breath. "Madara is cloning an army. Kabuto was already working on resurrecting the dead science for Orochimaru. With Madara's influence and backing, Kabuto was able to crack one of the issues that caused the science to be abandoned almost a century ago. Madara is using DNA collected from different sources all over the world, but he's using Uchiha DNA as the base for all of the clones. That's why the labs in Sound need to be destroyed and why Itachi needs to come back to Konoha. Karin is the key." Myra swallowed again.

"She knows the locations of every lab, base, and prison and she may know what chemicals Kabuto is using, or possibly the process. We hope that maybe with her knowledge we can devise a plan to get all the labs at once and maybe come up with a way to counteract the chemical cohesion of the clones. Now please stop." She whimpered in pain.

The human form Kyuubi burst through the bedroom door and pulled Naruto away from Myra. He then placed himself between Myra and Naruto. He growled at Naruto menacingly. _**"What the HELL are you thinking?"**_

Naruto stood straight. **"I'm stopping this shit now! I will not have her lying to me just to get her way."**

"_**Listen Brat, because I am only going to tell you this once. SHE CAN'T LIE TO YOU. Myra is incapable of lying. The first Law of the Ethereal, 'Speak from the heart, for it knows no lie.' She can bend the truth or leave out certain details, but flat out lie to your face is impossible."**_

"**Why can't she trust me with the truth?!"** Naruto snarled feral blue slits boring into the Kyuubi's red ones.

Myra gazed at the pattern of drops from her tears on the floor. "Stop it both of you." She hiccupped. "Please just stop."

Naruto pushed passed the Kyuubi and tried to pull Myra into an embrace. She scampered away from him. She looked up at him and her chocolate orbs wavered. Naruto took a step back from her, horrified by the fear in her eyes.

The Kyuubi grabbed the blonde and forcibly removed him from the room, dragging him down the hall way and tossing him on the couch in the living room. Naruto had tried to resist, but the Kyuubi wasn't letting him get out of his grasp. Naruto made several attempts to stand up to go back in the bedroom and the Kyuubi kept pushing him back on the couch. Finally the Kyuubi had his arm across Naruto's chest and was sitting on Naruto to keep him down. _**"Stay down Brat!"**_

They both glared at each other. There was a tense moment before Naruto calmed down, but not much. **"What the HELL? Let me go Furball. I need to go back in there!"**

"_**No."**_ The Kyuubi let up on his hold on Naruto slightly. _**"You are such a fool, Naruto. You focused and concentrated your anger at the situation, then directed it all at Myra."**_

"**I know what I did and why I did it."** Naruto's eyes waived for the briefest of moments, echoing his concern.

"_**You couldn't see that she was writhing in pain. You couldn't tell that her heart was screaming for you to stop."**_

Naruto paused. **"Yes."**

"_**Then why did you continue?"**_ The Kyuubi snarled. The Kyuubi was met with silence. _**"There is no word in any language I know to describe your moronic behavior!"**_

"**I want her to stay here where I know she won't get hurt! What is so terrible about that?"** Naruto shouted back at the Kyuubi.

Kyuubi sighed, releasing Naruto from his hold. The demon stood towering over the boy with his arms crossed, slitted eyes warning him to not move from the spot. Maybe a different approach from violence would work. _**"You say you would do anything to protect your precious people from harm. Myra IS your most precious person is she not?"**_

"**OF COURSE!"** Naruto shouted back without hesitation.

Kyuubi snorted. _**"Yet look at your actions. I know you saw the fear in her eyes. The smell of her fear hovers about you like flies to horse dung. She was afraid of you...not Madara, not the mission...YOU!"**_

Naruto's eyes widened, taking on a distant look of guilt, before he looked away from the Kyuubi ashamed. He knew he had held onto the anger and disappointment as a weapon against Myra. But he thought it had to be done. The fight left Naruto at that moment. He was again, Naruto, plain and simple. "I only did it so she would tell me the truth. I wanted her to be safe until she recovered." He whispered with remorse.

Kyuubi shook his head at the naive boy. _**"I will agree that Myra needs time to recover. But even with her current disadvantages, are you telling me that YOU would allow ANYTHING to happen to her while on this mission?"**_

Naruto growled lowly. "Of course not, and may Kami have mercy on anyone who'd try." He threatened the air around him.

Kyuubi smirked at Naruto's response. The great fox had one final thought for the boy. _**"Then why, pray tell, are you worried about her at all?"**_ He questioned Naruto almost sarcastically. _**"If you are so confident in your abilities, this should not have been issue at all. Or is it merely false bravado, and the true reason you do not want her to go because you would fail in your duties to protect her?"**_

Minutes rolled by in silence as Kyuubi simply watched the different facial expressions cross over Naruto's face. The boy mentally battled with himself over the Kyuubi's words. When the blonde boy looked up at the Kyuubi, the great fox grinned. A familiar glint had been rekindled in Naruto's eyes. The boy would never give up and he would never back down from a fight.

"_**I see you finally get it."**_ Kyuubi ended the silence in smug tone.

"Yeah I get it..." He said lowly, before shaking his head and letting out a sigh. "I am idiot aren't I?" Naruto questioned making the demon chuckle.

"_**That you are Kit; however, it is said that we only hurt the ones we love. Meaning you love her with all your heart."**_

Naruto silently nodded while getting up. "That should be obvious." He answered, sighing deeply. "Fine I'll let her go, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Sure, it's selfish of me to want her to stay." He admitted. "But it sure as hell doesn't feel that way." Naruto grumbled.

Kyuubi chuckled. The boy was getting smarter, if only bit by bit. _**"All depends on one's perspective. Now I believe you owe a certain young woman a hefty apology, and to get packed."**_ The Kyuubi raised a curious eyebrow. _**"That is IF you are going, because I recently heard otherwise."**_

Naruto's eyes hardened "She won't be leaving my sight." He promised though more to himself than the demon he spoke to.

"_**Good. I am going back to my pagoda. If you interrupt my nap again, Brat, I will not hesitate to kill you."**_ The Kyuubi grinned.

Naruto waved his hand dismissively and rolled his eyes. "Kill me, kill yourself." The boy started his slow trek to the bedroom.

0 – 0 – 0

Myra breathed in a deep sigh of content as she basked in the morning sunshine. Oh how the sun warmed her skin exposed by the barely there purple bikini. It seemed like it had been ages since she able to sneak away from anyone to enjoy the simple pleasure of sun bathing. Sure, she could get that sun kissed golden tan out of a bottle, but where was the fun in that? She didn't like the public display of skin, but it was a means to set the mood for her cover, or so she kept trying to convince herself. If she were truly honest with herself, something her whinny inner voice had been saying, she wanted to know if she still had 'it'. Myra felt ugly at the moment. She had felt ugly since the fight with Naruto a little more than twenty four hours ago. But she wasn't ugly, she wasn't insecure and she sure as Hell wasn't being stubborn. Ok so a baby, little to no strenuous exercise for the last year, and practically no sun and she was feeling a little self conscious about herself. Naruto practically lording over her, smothering her and hiding her from the world in general wasn't helping her at all gain back the self confidence she was looking for. Myra needed to prove to him, more than herself that she COULD and WOULD take care of herself.

She opened one eye behind her dark sun glasses in time to see another one of the towel boys almost trip over one of the other chaise loungers. The near fall brought a smirk to her lips. The boy tripping over himself to get a good long look made her feel better.

A shadow was cast over her and her smirk soon turned into a frown. "You're standing in my sun."

"You promised you wouldn't go anywhere alone." Naruto scowled over her.

Myra inched her sun glasses down her nose to look at him over her glasses. She had to pause and think about how good Naruto looked in the black jeans and buttoned down white linen shirt. He looked totally comfortable, except for the nasty look he was giving her. "I said I wouldn't leave the hotel alone." She replaced her glasses and went back to her previous state of sun bathing. "I'm still in the hotel. Now kindly move your ass out of my sun." She said in a bored tone. Yes, Myra was still a bit pissed at Naruto. She didn't really have a good reason to be angry at him. She had felt guilty about keeping him out of the loop, but it was a necessary evil to protect Naruto from himself. He had apologized for the most part. And she had forgiven him, but she sure hadn't forgotten yet.

Then he started laying down the rules. Myra had zoned out after the second rule. She vaguely remembered something about not being alone and not over exerting herself, but that was about it. Myra had no intention of over exerting herself. This was going to be an easy mission. Snatch, grab and flee nothing complicated or strenuous. Everything had been set up in a matter of hours. Myra was to play the well kept mistress and Naruto, her body guard. Myra's employer, a one "Gentleman" George Marcone, was coming to Matsuri to meet with the local Yakuza to discuss business, specifically, the business of illegal fight organization and possible import and export of such a business. How convenient was that?

Myra really wanted to know what her father threatened Marcone with to get the Mafia boss to allow a Death Dealer in his mitts. She didn't dwell on the sorted details. She just explained the gist to Naruto. His anger flared when she used the word 'whore', so she tried something a little less demeaning, like 'call girl', but he didn't like that either. So she settled on explaining their cover with a term that didn't seem to cause the blonde too much undue stress. Though it did bother Myra a bit to know he didn't mind the term 'mistress' and it made her think about possibilities that brought her to her current state of semi-undress. Several thoughts kept nagging away at her the entire time they were packing his bare necessities. Was she enough to keep him? Would he actually take a mistress on the side if she weren't? Was she still desirable after a baby and being completely useless for the last year? If Naruto knew she was scared out of her mind, would he still want to be here? She had shoved those thoughts to the side and stopped talking all together.

There was a deafening quiet during the car ride to Matsuri. And they hadn't real spoken at all since they got to the hotel. The luxurious three room hotel suite was something Naruto had only seen in pictures from magazines. He was marveling the view of the sunset when he heard Myra shut one of the bedroom doors and lock it. At first he thought about breaking down the door and getting her to tell him what was wrong with her. He'd apologized, what more did she want?

"_**She needs time."**_ The Kyuubi mused. The Kyuubi was a last minute addition to Naruto's insistence that HE call the shots. Naruto would rather have the blasted demon there and not need him, than need him and not be there. Not that Naruto ever needed the Kyuubi, but it was really pathetic to hear the King of all Demons whine about being fat, lazy and not having anything to do while they were gone. So the Kyuubi had tagged along. That first evening in Matsuri was a quiet one. Naruto let Myra have the evening to herself and didn't try to intrude on her. When she had emerged from her room, wearing the skimpiest dress he'd ever seen her in, he had two thoughts. The first nearly had her out of that dress and on the bed, but he reminded himself she still needed her space. So he acted on the second instinct and refused to let her leave the room.

There had been a lot of shouting. Myra wanted to maintain the cover. Naruto wanted to maintain her honor. When she started to pout, bat her eyelashes, and yank the chain she thought would get him to give in, Naruto didn't budge. It took an extreme force of will on his part not to fall prey to her powers of persuasion, but he was able to stand his ground… barely. She finally turned up her nose with a harrumph and went back into her room, shutting the door and locking it behind her. He heard a muffled "Fine, I won't leave the hotel alone."

Now, she was in the pool area, alone and wearing a bikini, if you could call the three triangles of fabric held together with dental floss a bikini, causing all sorts of havoc with the hotel staff. Naruto took a calming breath. "When are we meeting with this George guy?"

"We're meeting him for lunch."

"When is that?" Naruto saw out of the corner of his eye a pool boy approaching her with an ornate glass filled with bluish liquid on a tray.

The boy bent with glass and offered the drink. Myra took the glass, offering the boy a playful grin and a soft. "Thank you Kenji-kun." Something in the back of Naruto's mind snapped and he growled. Myra didn't use those affectionate and familiar suffixes with anyone, now Myra adds the sign of affection to the pool boy?

"Would there be ANYTHING else, Miss?" Kenji hinted.

Myra just grinned impishly over her glasses let her eyes wander up and down the boy. Naruto's growl made Kenji step back worriedly and finally the nervous poll boy scurried away. Myra turned to Naruto, who was scowling deeper than she had ever seen. His mood had shifted from extremely annoyed to boarder line pissed off. She rolled her eyes and lay back down on the chaise. "I see you're not going to be any fun." She sipped at her drink and set it on the side table.

"Lunch?" Naruto growled impatiently.

"Noon-ish, give or take a minute or two."

"Do you seriously plan on laying out here practically naked until lunch?"

Myra smirked. She didn't want to push Naruto's possessive tendency, but it was perfect payback, cruel maybe, but perfect. "Well I tried it take off my top to avoid tan lines, but..."

Naruto was near the end of his rope. "What the HELL is wrong with you?!"

Myra sighed indifferently. "There isn't anything wrong with me that you removing your ass from my sun wouldn't cure."

That did it. She had officially gotten his goat. He picked her up out of the chaise lounge and tossed her in the pool. Myra floundered in the pool for a moment until she found her footing. Naruto stepped to the edge of the pool and couldn't help chuckling at her.

_The NERVE of him! The insensitive BASTARD!_ Myra's mind railed as she ran a hand down her face to remove the excess water. Her hair was a tangled mess plastered all over her head. She was far from amused. Naruto's gloating chuckled had turned to a full mocking laugh. Myra ducked her head beneath the water to slick her hair back to something more manageable and waded to the edge of the pool. She gracefully pulled herself up out of the water and stood nose to nose with Naruto, who was trying to stifle his laugher. It wasn't working.

Myra narrowed her eyes and poked him in the chest. "NOT funny, Pretty Boy…"

Naruto tried to hide the triumphant smirk. "It was so." He snorted trying to contain another bought of laughter.

Myra smiled and batted her eyelashes. Then her lips were so close to his ear, Naruto could feel her breath tickle the side of his neck. "If you wanted me wet that badly, you should have just asked."

The exquisite tingle of lust traveled the length of Naruto's spine and made his groin twitch. Her lips hovered over his pulse point causing each hair on his neck to stand at attention, which in turn caused another part of Naruto's anatomy to stand at attention. Naruto ineffectively tried to beat back the lust beginning to stir within him. Myra slid her hand up to the center of his chest and slipped the other to the back of his neck, pulling him down to lock her lips with his. It was passionate kiss that seared his lips and left him bereft of oxygen. Naruto's body throbbed with a sudden need that was going to consume if he didn't have her soon. Myra broke away from Naruto gasping for air. He had lost the battle to douse the flames of desire before they became a wild fire threatening to consume him. There was something in her smirk that didn't sit well with him. But it was too late for his brain to kick in and realize the error of his hesitation. Then it was Myra's turn to stand on the edge of the pool with a gloating grin.

Naruto's burning desire was engulfed by the cool water of the pool. He mimicked Myra's action of running a hand down his face to remove the water now dripping from his hair. His eyes focused on her retreating back as Myra, wrapped in a towel, stormed back towards the main hotel, and hopefully, back to the room. He smirked as he hopped out of the pool. Naruto had done what he came to do. Myra was covered and out of the view of men with lewd thoughts running through their heads as they gawked at her. Kami knew if HE was having those thoughts about her, other men staring would be too. And as far as Naruto concerned, he was the ONLY person allowed to think that way about Myra.

The towel boy, Kenji, approached Naruto cautiously and handed him a towel. "Are you alright sir?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the boy, who shank under Naruto's withering stare. The moody blonde grabbed the towel from Kenji. "Off limits." Naruto growled.

Kenji paled. "Uh... Excuse me?"

"Pass it around pool boy... She's off limits." Naruto growled again as he wiped down with the towel.

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that sir. The staff isn't allowed to fraternize with the guests. And I doubt any of the off duty staff have the cash to afford her company." Kenji shrugged.

Naruto was seeing red, before he had to remember their cover. Myra was playing the part of the well kept mistress. Naruto was her body guard. Naruto agreed to the arrangement, begrudgingly. They would be meeting up with Myra's employer later this afternoon. He was supposed to get them into the fight arena to find Karin. Once they had a solid fix on Karin, Myra would get close enough for the initial tag. Then it was easy sailing from there. In the meantime, no matter how hard he tried to remember the cover story, he could not see Myra as whore or a cheap floozy. Myra was better than that, but right now he was beginning to rethink that statement. Since they had arrived she had been nothing but trouble and a pain in the ass. It was like she was purposely trying to irritate him. Naruto let that thought sink in. He growled in frustration and set his jaw in a deep grimace. He forced down the urge to rip apart the little dweeb. "Yeah... Don't forget that either... She belongs to the Boss."

A_nd I'm the boss!_ Naruto tossed the towel at the pool boy and stormed after Myra. It was about time he proved it too.

0 – 0 – 0

Myra stomped into her temporary living quarters and shed the towel. He was coming up the elevator and he was angry again. Myra sighed. What could she have possibly done now? Naruto had interrupted her alone time. She needed time to think. She needed time to meditate and she seriously needed some sun. Naruto had ruined that. He had been standing in her sun. He dropped her in the FUCKING pool! What the hell did he have to be pissed about?

"_Maybe because you're being a total bitch?"_ Myra's inner voice chimed in. _"A kind of slutty bitch at that."_

_No one asked for your opinion. The slutty hooker thing is part of my cover so get over it. And when did you start using such harsh language?_ Myra snapped.

The inner voice that had always been there, but never as vocal chuckled. _"As you have always taken to using harsh language when it is appropriate, I thought I would try it. It seems to have done the job because I have your attention."_

Myra walked into her room and started to rummage through her closet. Some of the clothes there she had brought with her. The rest, a fine selection of cocktail dresses, a few out about town 'come fuck me dresses', some 'I'm more than you can afford' club outfits, along with matching accessories and shoes, were bought by the wonderful fashion coordinator at Ravenheart Industries and sent to the hotel room for her perusal. Myra was picking out a slimming black strapless number for lunch with their contact George. _Fine, you have my attention. I promised to listen, so talk, and make it quick because Pretty Boy will be here in a few minutes._

"_See what I mean… Bitchy bitchy bitchy. What crawled up your ass?" _Myra glared at herself in the mirror on the closet door. _"Damn… You ARE pissed, and over something so trivial."_

"IT IS NOT TRIVIAL!" Myra yelled at the mirror, before donning a white terrycloth bath robe.

Her inner voice laughed. _"Yes it is. You're not up to your own standards of excellence. You've been out of action for over a year. You've been seriously thinking he might leave you. Naruto caught you at a weak moment in your life and you're pissed at him because he took advantage of it. You spilled your guts and told him things he NEEDED to know ANYWAY. He apologized and you've been treating him like shit ever since. Yes, you forgave him, but rather than letting it go, you are going to make him suffer. And all because you don't feel pretty at the moment, COME ON! Get a grip on reality and admit to being scared. How petty are you?"_

Myra frowned at the floor. Most of the time she liked to be right, but at this moment she hated being right. Or at least she hated the idea that the inner voice she usually never listened to in the first place being right. There was silence in Myra's mind for several brief moments. _"You aren't petty. You never have been. Your confidence was shaken and you've been rethinking this mission since you were on the floor sobbing like a baby. You're scared and rather than telling the one person that can alleviate those fears, you are pushing him away like a spoiled brat. Trust him for once. Let him know you're scared. Rely on him for a change. Allow yourself to be a damsel in distress and let him rescue you from self doubt."_

Myra heard the door slam open and then shut again with a loud thud. She was about to rush to her door to unlock it, but she stepped back. Naruto was still angry and hadn't schooled his emotions. He had been doing it most of yesterday after the first fight, and most of the morning. Myra understood. Naruto wanted her to know he was mad. The door handle jiggled and he knew it was locked. Myra stepped back away from the door. Once again she was at odds with herself. Her inner voice was screaming for her to open the door and jump into his arms. Her more practical voice with the sense of self preservation said to jump out the window.

The door to the room burst open, sending wood chunks off to the side of the room. Naruto was standing in her face with a vicious snarl on his lips. "Don't EVER lock me out again."

Myra's eyes faltered and Naruto saw tears at the corners. "Yes, you're right." she said softly. "I'll never lock you out again."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. She was being totally contrary not ten minutes ago. "What is wrong with you?"

"I'm scared." Myra's voice shook as she said it.

Naruto's nostrils flared as he inhaled her scent. Yes, she was scared. He put the brakes on his anger and his face seemed to fall. "What are you scared of?"

Myra took a deep breath and licked her suddenly dry lips. "Everything." She said while letting out the breath slowly. "I am scared of what you know, and how you will use that knowledge. I am fearful of the future and what has to be done. I am terrified of what will happen if we fail. I am disturbed by the idea that I might lose you because of my stupidity." Her voice shook with the tears she was shedding. "I am afraid I am not strong enough to endure the possibilities."

Naruto paused. He was extremely glad the Kyuubi was out sniffing around town. The idea was if the Kyuubi could find Karin, then they wouldn't have to go through with any of this. They could just grab the girl and go. Naruto didn't like the cover story idea. But he knew they couldn't just tear apart the town searching for Karin either.

Naruto was going to make damn sure Myra didn't try anything that would cause her to collapse again. He knew she wasn't up to snuff. He thought she knew it too. But Myra was being stubborn and not giving in. Naruto admired that, but he hated it at the same time. Why had he picked a woman that was just as, if not more stubborn than he was, he didn't know, but he loved her just the same. When Naruto got back to the room, he had expected her to fight back. He had expected her to be belligerent and mouthy. But he hadn't expected Myra to… to… Admit she was scared. But she was admitting it to him. That was a good thing wasn't it? Did this mean she trusted him finally? Naruto's anger vanished, leaving him with the deep desire to sooth her fears. He took a few steps closer.

Myra put up her hand to stop him and she took a step back. "Please let me finish." Naruto nodded and let her continue. She took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. "I've haven't had someone use my empathy to tear me down like that, not since I was a child and couldn't shield myself from that kind of attack." She swallowed a lump in her throat, clearly chocked by the memory. "My father used to do that to me when I was little so I would learn to build the barriers that block out the empathy. Ten years of barrier building and chakra reinforcement, and in five minutes I was humbled at your feet." Myra shook her head. "Few people know or understand what it's like for someone like me, to be able to feel EVERYTHING. People can school their features, modify their voice patterns, alter their chakra and even force their heartbeat to stay in rhythm. But no one, not even the emotionless Sasuke can alter their emotions. I know when people are happy or sad, angry or at peace," her face softened into a small smile, "when people are in love." Tears slipped down her cheeks. "My empathy, at times, is a greater asset than my Sharingan. And at other times, it is a curse. Yesterday was one of those times I hated it.

"When I was on the floor, I couldn't believe I had let myself become that weak. How could I possibly believe I could do anything to help you if I can't even stand up to you? How was I going to face someone like Madara, if I turn to a bowl of jello when someone gets a little emotional? When I was in control, I would have been able to fight back. If I had been in control, we wouldn't have had the fight AT ALL. Look at me now. I can't even perform a simple clone jutsu without exhausting myself. I thought if I could just get the information that Karin has, I could at least help with the plot to attack Sound. But I can't even do that without screwing it up somehow."

Myra wrapped her arms around her shoulders as if she was suddenly cold. "I'm not enough to keep you anymore. I'm not strong enough. I can't do it… I just can't. You may die. Minato may be without parents because of my stupidity. I screwed up royally and I have to fix it, but I don't know how." Myra put her head in her hands and sobbed.

Naruto rushed forward and took Myra into his arms in a comforting embrace. He stood there with her held close to his chest, rubbing circles on her back, and let her cry. They stood that way for several long minutes until Myra's sobbing turned to soft hiccups and sniffles. Naruto wanted to tell her that it would be okay. There were too many uncertainties, too many variables, and too many unknowns to make false promises. Course when had that ever stopped him from making a promise. "It will be okay." He cooed into her hair.

Myra smiled. "I'm glad one of us thinks so."

"We're postponing the lunch till dinner. You need a nap." Naruto stated matter of fact.

Myra whipped at her already puff red eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm fi.."

He glared at her.

"I'm a little tired, yes." She amended. "All this emotion and fighting and drama, seems to drain me right now."

Naruto pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry I did what I did."

Myra shook her head. "You did what you thought you had to do. Am I mad at you? Kind of, but I'm more angry at myself for allowing it to happen. Like I said, I got myself into this situation, and I have to own up to the consequences."

"You say that like this is a bad thing."

"It IS a bad thing. I put you in danger because I was too stubborn to realize I wasn't as up to this mission as I thought I was. Should things get out of hand, we're screwed."

Naruto chuckled and pushed her on the bed. "Stop worrying. We'll get through this. It's just a snatch and grab right? This whole cloak and dagger thing is overly complicated. Why can't we just find her, grab her and go?"

Myra blinked up at him. "Mostly because we didn't want the other villages or the Yakuza to get suspicious of what we were doing."

"So we do it quietly."

Myra rubbed her puffy eyes, causing them to become puffier. "Naruto, you and I can't do ANYTHING quietly."

He jumped on the bed next to her. "See you're cracking jokes. You must be feeling better. But seriously though, can you just sniff her out and be done with it?"

"That isn't how Spirit Tracking works. I can't locate her if I haven't met her. I have to get a feel for her before I can track her down." She snuggled closer to him. "Emotions come from the soul. Just like a chakra signature, emotions are unique to an individual. It's how I know where people are and with a little guess work I can tell you what they are doing."

Naruto pulled her closer to him. "Okay, so I understand why you have to meet her first. I still don't like it."

Myra sighed. "I don't like it as much as I thought I did either. But we're here. If we do this right, we will be back in Konoha in time for lunch tomorrow. I'll nap all you want me too then, I promise."

0 – 0 – 0

Karin had a strange foreboding when she woke up that afternoon. Her little apartment in Matsuri was a nice change from the cold, dark and dank cell she had while working for Orochimaru. It was an even better change from the forest floor while traveling with Sasuke. She stretched and grabbed her glasses off her night stand before getting up to start her daily routine. It was two thirty, just enough time for a quick shower, something to eat, and then she had to be at the warehouse to appraise the fighters.

Sasuke had abandoned the little group and they were running out of supplies. Suiegetsu was the first to leave the group saying he wasn't waiting around for Sasuke. Juugo had retreated to a cave where he wasn't talking to anyone but the birds, which left Karin to herself. When she didn't feel safe in the forest anymore, she headed for the closest town of Matsuri. She knew Sasuke's secret. She knew Itachi was in Matsuri. Karin could find herself a decent job at the hospital and ambush Sasuke the next time he visited Itachi, but he hadn't shown his pretty face.

Six months she waited for that bastard to come visit his comatose brother. Six months she slaved over bed pans, filthy sheets and disgusting messes waiting for that rotten son of a bitch to come back. Karin's once glowing admiration and blind loyalty had turned into festering hatred. She was going to rip his cute little button nose off his face if she ever saw him again. But even that didn't matter anymore. She was actually happy for once. Meeting Tanaka-sama had changed everything.

Tanaka-sama had brought a few of the pit fighters into the hospital for treatment. Karin had done her once over of the wounds and did a quick once over of the chakra in the room. In a off handed conversation with the handsome Tanaka-sama, she had made mention that she would have never put any money on them because they were too weak. That was how she quite literally fell into sorts with the Yakuza. Tanaka-sama invited her to visit his 'stables' as he called it. Karin walked the room of fighters and picked out the three best fighters. Haru Tanaka made a fortune that night. To make sure it wasn't a fluke, he tested her three more times. Each night the Yakuza boss made a small fortune and immediately after the last fight he made Karin his personal Fight Coordinator.

That was six months ago. Since then Karin had been earning a decent living, the Yakuza paid well. She had a roof over her head, though small in comparison to the huge manor Tanaka-sama lived in. She did, however, have issues with a few sleaze balls trying to make her do other things, but after Tanaka-sama declared her 'off limits', the sleaze balls went away. Though she hated Sasuke more than ever now, it didn't mean she didn't want to pounce on him BEFORE she ripped off his cute little nose.

The strange sense of foreboding came back to her minute she entered her tiny kitchen. There was a woman, long black hair tied back into a braid, wearing a black body suit and ninja armor that wasn't ninja armor from a village she could remember. She wasn't wearing a head band, nor was she wearing an insignia that she could see. She was sitting very casually in Karin's dining area reading a magazine on fashion. She looked oddly familiar.

It took Karin a few minutes to piece together her memory. She had been introduced to so many people over the last few months that she had stopped using her sensing ability all together. But last night, there was something strangely off about everything.

"You're that hooker!" Karin exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at Myra.

Myra didn't even look up from the magazine and turned the page. "I'm no hooker." She continued reading. "God damn! Green is the new black?" She glanced up at Karin, disgust etched on her face. Myra hated green.

Karin was totally thrown for loop. "Who are you?"

Myra went back to the magazine, turning another page. "Just a visitor, taking advantage of a few minutes to read a magazine I haven't read in a while. Really, though, green is the new black? I like black as black…" Myra sighed and closed her eyes.

"Get out of my house!" Karin charged Myra with a kunai conjured out of nowhere.

Myra looked up at Karin, sharingan a blaze in her eyes. "If you insist." Karin fainted in two steps.

0 - 0 - 0

Next time...

**Chapter 84: Strange things are a foot at the Circle Konoha!**

_"I don't know anything about what you're talking about." Karin yelled at her interrogator._

_"You're lying through your pearly whites." Myra flipped a map of Sound on the floor. "Just point to the places on the map Karin. That's all you have to do. As soon as you do that, you can go back to your cell. And if you tell me what you know about Kabuto's crazy cloning experiments, I may even arrange for you to be moved to a nicer cell. Tell me everything you know without having to resort to more," Myra smirked deviously, "Painful methods, and I might even arrange for you to see Sasuke."_

_"I don't believe Sasuke is here." Karin spat. "Why would he be in Konoha? He hate's this place. I don't believe he would be captured by you morons." Karin kept her face guarded._

_Myra laughed. "When did I say Sasuke was captured? I hate to burst your bubble Sweet Cheeks, but use that talent of yours. Search him out." Myra got up and walked behind the bound Karin. She put her hands on the the back of the chair, jerking it to face a camera on the wall. "He's watching right now. Listening to everything you have to say. You wouldn't want to disappoint him, now would you?"_

_Karin spat in Myra's face. "Fuck you bitch!"_

_Myra stood up and whipped the saliva from her face with a sigh. "Fine then. I tried the easy way. But I forget how stubborn you ninja are." Myra started to walk out of light circle. "Have fun with Ibiki."_


	84. Something Strange is afoot

A/N: Holy CRAP! Has it really been that long? *looks at a calendar* Damn! Life just totally got in the way. That and my muse went on vacation. She just recently got back. And she STILL doesn't want to sit still.

*Glances over at Muse tied up in the corner* I'm not letting her get away from me that easily this time.

Anyway - Standard warnings apply. Not mine... Adult stuff... Blah blah blah...

**_Previously:_**

_"So we do it quietly."_

_Myra rubbed her puffy eyes, causing them to become puffier. "Naruto, you and I can't do ANYTHING quietly."_

_He jumped on the bed next to her. "See you're cracking jokes. You must be feeling better. But seriously though, can you just sniff her out and be done with it?"_

_"That isn't how Spirit Tracking works. I can't locate her if I haven't met her. I have to get a feel for her before I can track her down." She snuggled closer to him. "Emotions come from the soul. Just like a chakra signature, emotions are unique to an individual. It's how I know where people are and with a little guess work I can tell you what they are doing."_

_Naruto pulled her closer to him. "Okay, so I understand why you have to meet her first. I still don't like it."_

_Myra sighed. "I don't like it as much as I thought I did either. But we're here. If we do this right, we will be back in Konoha in time for lunch tomorrow. I'll nap all you want me too then, I promise."_

**Chapter 84: Something Strange is afoot in Circle Konoha**

_Four Days Earlier - Somewhere outside the borders of Waterfall_

"Should we help?"

"No."

"But there are five of them."

Trace shook his head. "Nakamiko will be fine."

Deuce didn't look convinced. "But they are actually ninja… Not the pathetic prisoners we've been using as target practice, those villagers or even livestock. We're talking real ninja."

Trace let out a deep sigh of frustration. "Deuce, the only problem I see here is that she is going to have all the fun… Again."

"But that's what I mean… Nakamiko is going to have all the fun while we sit here and watch."

"She told us to stay put." Trace snapped at his older brother.

Deuce grumbled and crossed his arms. "Are you sure Nakamiko wants to have fun, or see if she can attract the attention of a certain Jinchuriki?"

"I want to face the Jinchuriki eventually, yes. I want to see if it is true his eyes change color when his demon takes control of his actions. I want to see how the death of his radiant creature has affected him." Her voice echoed in the shadows before Nakamiko came into the light of the pale moon. "I also want to remove the last thing keeping the Master's chosen heir from him."

Deuce jumped slightly and almost lost his balance in the tree.

Trace rolled his eyes. "Must you be so over dramatic with your entrances, sister dear?"

Nakamiko tilted her head to the side, not understanding Trace's question. "I entered the area the best way possible as to not give away your location or mine. I allowed one of the ninja to live to take a message back to the Hokage. I did not want him to decide at the last minute to avenge his compatriots."

"Oh, and what message was that?" Deuce snorted. "Let me guess, you want them line up so we can kill them faster."

"Do not be silly Little Brother." Nakamiko chided. "As tempting as that may be, mentioning in my message that an unconditional surrender to Lord Madara would greatly increase their chances of survival, is not part of the Master's vision. Konoha will have its spirit broken first then the village will be destroyed. Once Konoha is little more than burning embers, the other villages will tumble like dominos. To break Konoha's spirit, I will kill the Jinchuriki."

Trace looked at Nakamiko as if bored. "So kill the Jinchuriki and be done with it."

Deuce and Trace took a step back as Nakamiko leveled a playfully evil smirk at them. "I will kill him. But I want to play with him first. I will return the Master's heir and then I will kill the Kyuubi host."

Deuce composed himself to not look as intimidated by his sister. "Does that mean we can get out of here now?"

Nakamiko turned on her heels and walked back into the shadows. "We leave at dawn for Konoha."

0 – 0 – 0

_Four days later_

Tsunade's face was etched with worry and distress. There was a team sent to assess the situation at the Waterfall borders and only one had returned alive. Now, Waterfall had sent another distressing message to inform Konoha that Sound had reached the borders of Waterfall. The attacks had become more brutal. The small farming communities were being laid to waste and nothing was being left alive. No man, woman, child, or beast was being spared the atrocities of the attack. "My Lady, we have evacuated the last remaining villages, but our resources cannot cope with the numbers of refugees." The messenger informed the Hokage.

The blonde woman sighed. "We will extend what help we can. How soon do you need to return with a response?"

The messenger visibly relaxed, but only slightly. "As soon as possibly Ma'am, Waterfall has issued orders that every available ninja to assist should Sound try to push their borders any further. They seemed to have stopped at the river boundary of Waterfall and the Unclaimed Territory, but that has not stopped them from decimating the villages that naturally existed along the river."

Tsunade thought for a moment. "I understand. However, it will take us several days to put together the people and collect the necessary supplies. For the moment, I would suggest following Shizune to the hospital where your wounds will be treated and take the opportunity to rest."

"Yes Ma'am." The messenger followed Shizune out the door.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, reading over the scroll again. People were being slaughtered, but for what purpose? It didn't make sense to Tsunade. _What could Kabuto think he gains by killing innocent people?_ Tsunade tossed the scroll on her cluttered desk sending a few other scrolls and books to the floor. There was a faint knock on Tsunade's door.

"Enter!"

Shikamaru walked in looking the worse for wear. "He's alive, but weak. He told me what he could before he was unconscious again."

Tsunade rubbed at her eyes. It was getting late. She was tired and there was still so much to do. "How bad is it?"

"According to the scout, Sound is employing a Scotched Earth policy. They are seemingly leaving nothing behind."

"You don't look convinced." The corners of Tsunade's lip twitch into a smile.

Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably in his spot. "There is something extremely odd about the burned out villages. The scout team was able to investigate a few of the villages before the team was attacked. The villages attacked were small or medium farming villages, and the Sound ninja were making it look like they were killing everything. I do not think this is the case. If Sound was actually killing everything, there would be large numbers of dead animal carcasses in the vicinity. But there aren't, the remaining scout says there are only a few scattered around the villages, next to barns or stables. Also, store houses were empty when they were burned. So it leads me to believe that the weaker animals were slaughtered to give the appearance of total decimation, but the younger, healthier animals were loaded up with usable resources and taken back to Sound. Then the villages are burned to cover the tracks."

Tsunade nodded. "Kabuto is stealing the resources of other people. It is an old tactic, but an effective one. Is there anything else?"

"Yes." The tactics genius answered.

The Hokage lifted an impatient eyebrow. "Well? What is it?"

"There was a message carved into the scout's back." Shikamaru stepped forward and handed Tsunade a small piece of paper.

Tsunade took the paper and read the message:

_"Send the Kyuubi Jinchuriki and Waterfall will be spared."_

Her eyes narrowed, before she stood abruptly from her chair. "Naruto is not to hear of this."

"But why? Shouldn't someone…"

"Shikamaru, think for a moment. Kabuto and Madara WANT us to tell Naruto. This makes sense now. Kabuto is having his forces cause mass chaos and destruction to pull at Naruto's sense of protection. He will happily sacrifice himself to make sure no further action is taken against Waterfall. So for now, we wait to tell him. In the meantime, we finalize the plans for invading Sound. We send a small force to assist in the evacuation of Waterfall. But we keep Naruto here." She sat back in her chair with a thump. She really was getting tired.

Shikamaru blinked and put his chin in his hand. "They want us to over react. They want us to leave Konoha without its best ninja."

Tsunade smiled. "Exactly. It is another obvious tactic. They are trying to divide our forces. We cannot allow it. The main bulk of our forces will stay in Konoha to thwart a strike from Sound. But in case there are eyes watching Konoha's movements, and I am sure there are, we will make it LOOK as if we are gearing up to send a large first string force to Waterfall. We will make it just as obvious that we are taking the bait. I need Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, and Myra in my office tomorrow."

"Yes Ma'am."

0 – 0 – 0

_The next afternoon_

Myra was deep in thought. Something had been nagging her since the moment she exited the interrogation room with Karin. Something just didn't fit, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what. Myra had walked from the prison towards the house contemplating every word spilled out of Karin's mouth. It was too easy. Karin was either extremely weak minded, or a pawn in the web Madara had been weaving. The prisoner had spilled her guts too easily. Regardless of Karin not saying much about Kabuto's cloning experiments, the woman had answers to every question.

Tsunade allowed Karin to stew for two weeks in a prison cell, hopefully to weaken any resolve Karin may have had. The time had allowed Myra to rest, which Myra had done almost obediently. There had been the late night excursions to the dojo to train alone when she thought no one would be watching. Myra had managed to bring her chakra back to a level that she felt confident with, but it was nowhere near what it needed to be. She still had a long way to go, but at least she could defend herself until help arrived. But as Myra walked down the street, she couldn't help shake the feeling that the red head's confession came too quickly.

**_[A FEW HOURS BEFORE]_**

"I don't know anything about what you're talking about." Karin yelled at her interrogator.

"You're lying through your pearly whites." Myra flipped a map of Sound on the floor. "Just point to the places on the map Karin, that's all you have to do. As soon as you do that, you can go back to your cell. And if you tell me what you know about Kabuto's crazy cloning experiments, I may even arrange for you to be moved to a nicer cell. Tell me everything you know without having to resort to more," Myra smirked deviously, "Painful methods, and I might even arrange for you to see Sasuke."

"I don't believe Sasuke is here." Karin hissed. "Why would he be in Konoha? He hate's this place. I don't believe he would be captured by you morons." Karin kept her face guarded.

Myra laughed. "When did I say Sasuke was captured? I hate to burst your bubble Sweet Cheeks, but use that talent of yours. Search him out." Myra got up and walked behind the bound Karin. She put her hands on the back of the chair, jerking it to face a camera on the wall. "He's watching right now. Listening to everything you have to say. You wouldn't want to disappoint him now, would you?"

Karin spat in Myra's face. "Fuck you bitch!"

Myra stood up and whipped the saliva from her face with a sigh. "Fine then. I tried the easy way. But I forget how stubborn you ninja are." Myra started to walk out of light circle. "Have fun with Ibiki."

Karin contemplated the idea of being questioned by the infamous Ibiki. Kabuto said once a long time ago that getting captured by Konoha was a bad thing. They had ways of extracting information out of a person living or dead, which meant Karin didn't have to be alive to get whatever information they truly needed. The prisoner's eyes widened and her fear spiked to extremely high levels. Myra smirked as she reached for the door and hesitated for another split second.

"What exactly do you want to know?" It was a few moments before Karin could see any movement in the shadows.

The prisoner heard a clink of the lock on her restraints and then Myra appeared in front of her holding out the map of Sound in one hand and a pen in the other. "Mark the locations of every base, hideout, prison, shithole and pissing pot you can think of. After that, we'll talk about Kabuto and his crazy science projects."

Karin licked her suddenly dry lips as if contemplating something. Nervously, she took the pen and map from Myra and started to scribble marks on the map.

**_[Back to the present]_**

It wasn't long after Karin had finished the map to every location she could think of that Myra found out that Karin didn't believe she knew about Kabuto's resurrection of the dead cloning science. The prisoner mentioned the same answer over and over again.

_"I never saw him doing anything I considered out of the ordinary. His purpose was to tend to Orochimaru-sama's health. I didn't associate with Kabuto all that often. I was Orochimaru-sama's clerical assistant and occasional lab assistant, not Kabuto's."_

It was the third time Karin used the exact same wording and tone of voice that Myra took notice of this issue. The Ravenheart changed interrogation tactics and asked about Orochimaru's experiments. Karin was a wealth of information there as well. But the moment the questioning came back to Kabuto, the same answer would spew from Karin's mouth. It had to be a programmed response. _But who put the programming there?_ Myra thought. She turned the corner down the street and her stomach grumbled. Yes, she was very hungry and she needed to think. She looked up and saw the restaurant. Myra didn't think they would let her in the kitchen. Sure, she could very well go home and cook to her heart's content, but at home there would be other things that would distract her. Here, she could cook and not be distracted by the mundane trappings of domestic life.

0 – 0 – 0

There was a flurry of activity. The restaurant owner looked on with mild amusement, but several cooks continued to voice protests over the presence of Myra in the main kitchen.

"She can't be here!"

"She is ruining the rice!"

"MY DANGO!" Screamed another cook.

The owner held up his hand to silence the others. "Ravenheart-san assured me that you would have your kitchen back in the same order she found it in later this evening. She also said this was a way that we could help our village."

The cooks exchanged glances. One young apprentice cook pointed at the invading woman in the kitchen. "But isn't she that dem…"

The young apprentice cook that attempt to mention the word found a hand over his mouth and he was put in his place by a harsh stare from the owner. "I will not have that kind of talk in my restaurant. I am ashamed to know my neighbors and the civilian community that know who Naruto Uzumaki is, will publically praise him for saving their miserable hides, but privately condemn him or the people he associates with because of old fears. The boy has grown in to a fine young man despite the treatment he has received. Even I," said the owner, the admission choking his throat, "… am guilty of treating Uzumaki-san with disdain and prejudice, but no more. By helping that woman, I can attempt to tell him 'thank you' for saving my miserable hide, because he will not hear it or accept it in any other way."

The owner received nods of agreement from the other cooks and he released the apprentice. as he stood in silent contemplation, the apprentice found the floor a more interesting sight to gaze at. The apprentice seemed to make a decision after a long moment or two. The tall, slender boy lifted his chin and walked into the kitchen. Myra was balancing a few pots and pans, beginning to lay them out on a prep table. The stack tumbled and there was a symphony of metallic drums. Myra huffed and started to pick up the pans. One pan was being held out to her. She looked up to see the apprentice cook holding the pan, and the other cooks standing behind him. "Can we help?"

Myra smiled. She heard the conversation, but chose to ignore it and go about her musing. Some people meditate when they are deep in thought, other people paint. Myra headed for a kitchen and cooked up a storm. "I may need a hand or two here and there, but to be honest…" The cooks seemed a bit crestfallen as they realized she was going to refuse their help. She quickly changed her mind. "If you see something that I'm doing that can be done better, let me know. I'm a hands-on student. I may be shinobi, but cooking clears my mind and helps me think."

The cooks exchanged glances again. The head cook stepped forward. "What is on your menu, Ravenheart-san?"

Myra bounced up, looking at the expectant faces of the cooks around her. "Pie… Definitely pie, but I'm open to suggestions and possibly some tips on fusing my Southern home cooking with Japanese cuisine."

The owner beamed. "I am sure we can help. The kitchen is your playground Ravenheart-san. Just tell us what you need, and we will do the rest."

Myra nodded. "Good. Obitsu-san, I will need the main room of the restaurant when we are all done. Also, I may need someone to run news of my impromptu dinner party to a few friends and family, if you have no one to spare, I am sure..."

The portly restaurant owner waived his hand. "I have someone perfect for the job. He can also get any ingredients you may need that we are not currently carrying." He bowed politely. "Please, my restaurant is yours for the evening." Obitsu straightened. "Before he leaves, I would suggest a look at the pantries and the refrigerator to see what you might need."

Myra smiled. "Thank you. Let's get to work."

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto stood in Tsunade's office, next to Sasuke and Sai. Course, Naruto was between the grumpy Uchiha and the falsely chipper Sai. Things had never really been resolved between Sasuke and Sai, but they had come to an agreement. If Sai didn't say anything to Sasuke, life was good. The hard part of this little arrangement came when Sai was made ANBU liaison officer to the Konoha MP. Naruto honestly believed there were people in the village that intentionally enjoyed pissing off the easily angered Uchiha. And he would be right.

"Where is Myra?" Tsunade asked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Naruto shrugged.

Sai stared blankly.

Tsunade looked sternly at the three she would have to deal with Myra later. "We have a situation. It seems Sound has declared war on Waterfall."

Sasuke's lip wanted to twitch into a smirk, but he contained it. He hadn't really seen any action since the recon mission to Mist. Six months was a long time to be sitting behind a desk, not that he didn't enjoy spending time with his new family, because he did but Sasuke needed to get out and kill something before he went crazy. "Then I would assume we are going to render assistance."

Naruto punched his fists in the air. "YES! I need to get out for a while."

Sai stayed silent, much to Sasuke's delight.

Tsunade frowned. "We are going to assist, yes. But Naruto will not be going."

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me. The village is your main concern. If this attack is a means to divide our forces I cannot have my best ninja on the same front. If Sasuke goes, than Naruto stays. If Naruto goes, Sasuke stays."

"I hate to interrupt, but where is Kakashi-senpai, and ANBU going to be heading?" Sai asked nonchalantly.

"Kakashi is going to lead the team to help evacuate the non-combatants with assistance from RI. ANBU is going to prepare for the invasion of Sound. We can't wait any longer. As soon as plans for Sound are finalized, Myra is going to take lead of the invasion force. Naruto is staying here to prepare for a possible assault by Sound."

"I said it once and I'll say it again. WHAT?!" Naruto boomed.

Sai smiled. "You heard her Dickless, ANBU is going to squash Sound, Sasuke-kun is going with Kakashi-senpai, and you get to stay and baby-sit."

Naruto pointed angrily at Sasuke. "Why does he get to go kick ass?" He pointed to himself, "Why do I have to stay here and do nothing?" He pointed at Sai. "And why does Pasty get to go off to blow shit up?"

"Because I kick ass better." Sasuke smirked.

"How do you blow shit up?"

Naruto smacked himself in the forehead.

Sasuke raised a curious eyebrow.

Tsunade shook her head.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sai. "You attach a paper bomb to shit and it goes BOOM!" The blonde accentuated the last word and threw his hands up in exasperation.

Sai blinked for a precious second. "I do not think I like this assignment. It seems a bit messy. I would be happy to exchange places with Naruto since he seems to be better versed in the childish antics of "blowing shit up"."

Naruto grinned. "I could do that."

Sai raised an eyebrow. "How does Myra-san put up with you?"

"He's whipped." Sasuke mumbled as if bored.

Sai blinked again in surprise. "I did not know Myra-san and Anko-chan had the same tastes in controlling their men. No wonder you two wake the entire village."

"Sai!" Tsunade looked horrified.

Naruto hit the floor.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He REALLY didn't need to know that kind of information, nor did he want to know how Sai knew about Anko's perversion.

Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Sai, you and Myra will lead the team to destroy Sound. The use of paper bombs and other explosives will be required."

Sai's mouth made an 'o' shape as he realized he had taken Naruto's 'blowing shit up' comment literally and immediately felt stupid.

"Naruto and a few others will be staying in the village to prevent a possible invasion. Kakashi and Sasuke will head for Waterfall and render aid." Tsunade finished.

"I still don't see why I can't go with Sasuke or Myra." Naruto grumbled.

Sai smiled innocently. "I find it interesting that you wish to accompany Sasuke-kun first and your significant other second. Myra-san would be disappointed."

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" Naruto barked at Sai.

Sai's eyebrows lifted. "Well, there are rumors..."

"Rumors are just that... Rumors. I don't listen to the rumors." Sasuke shook his head.

"Really?" the artist ninja turned to Sasuke curiously. "So you and Myra aren't sleeping together behind Naruto's back? The Kyuubi isn't Minato's father, and you and Naruto aren't having an even more secret tryst with each other while Sakura and Myra watch?"

Naruto let out a sigh, shrugging his shoulders and gesturing with his hands. "You kiss a guy accidentally once and it never leaves you."

"You aren't worried about Myra sleeping with me behind your back?" Sasuke asked jovially.

"Wouldn't happen." Naruto shook his head, his tone conveying absolute confidence.

"And why not?" Sasuke feigned being insulated.

"Because Teme, she thinks of you like a brother and I would have to kill you." Naruto said matter of fact.

"Yes, like the threat of you killing me is something I would need to worry about." Sasuke snorted.

Naruto smirked. "Sakura would castrate you."

"Good point. I will consider myself warned." Sasuke nodded. Yes, they both had heard the rumors and both were secretly laughing at the absurdity of the rumors.

"If you gentlemen are quite finished," Tsunade asked rather annoyed. "There are important things to discuss, like the impending war!"

The three snapped to attention. "Yes Ma'am!"

0 - 0 - 0

Myra was in the middle of taking her aggression out on a slab of raw meat on the counter in front of her. The large tenderizing mallet slammed with a squelching thud as she pounded the tenderloin to paper-thin. The incessant buzzing in her back pocket was beginning to annoy her. She seriously considered turning the damn thing off completely, but she needed to pick up if it truly buzzed with dire urgency. For the last hour, her phone had been buzzing on and off with mild concern.

She sighed and pulled the offending clamshell device from her back pocket and looked at the caller ID. A playful smirk danced on her lips as she answered the phone. "You had better be calling to talk dirty to me."

There was silence on the other side of the line for a brief moment. "Don't I always give you a thrill when I call?"

"Oh yes baby." Myra said flatly. "Give it to me good."

"Where are you?"

Myra glanced up and looked around. "I'm in a kitchen pounding meat."

"You had better be cooking." Naruto said gruffly. "Though, I am not happy about you cooking in someone else's kitchen."

"No offense Love, I wanted to actually cook." Myra giggled.

"I can't help it. You're so sexy when you're cooking. It smells SO good and then I just can't help myself."

Myra rolled her eyes. "And when I do laundry?"

"All that bending over presents an easy target." He chuckled.

"KAMI, Naruto! No wonder she didn't go home. Can't you keep your hands off the poor women?" Sakura's muffled shriek came through the phone easily.

Myra laughed. It wasn't as bad as they were making it sound. Okay, it was that bad, but they had a year of making up for lost time and with the war path a head of them, they were making the time they had count for something. "Seriously though, why call me on Sakura's phone?"

"Because you were ignoring everyone else, even me." Naruto's voice sounded a little hurt.

Myra put the mallet down. "I'm sorry Love. I've been extremely deep in thought. Cooking helps with my thought process, and if I had gone home and started cooking I wouldn't have been cooking for very long. Besides, I don't like to take work home with me."

"And if you had told me that, I would have left you alone."

Myra smiled. "I know and I appreciate it. But it takes two to tango, just because you would have left me alone, doesn't mean I would have left YOU alone. There is about thirty to forty minutes while pie is in the oven."

"You made pie?" Myra could hear him drooling.

"I experimented with Lychee and of course I made Blueberry. Tell Susuke since I know he's lurking somewhere, I made Lasagna. I was pounding a nice cut of tenderloin to make Beef pinwheels."

"Hey Teme! She's making that tomato noodle layer thing you like! And PIE!"

Myra shook her head. "Dinner is at eight. Sakura should have the directions."

Things got quiet on Naruto's side of the phone for a moment. "Rabbit, Ba-chan is looking for you."

"I know. How's Minato?"

"He's fine. He's here with me and he's trying to play with Yuki. She's having none of it. She isn't as active as he is yet. She can't even crawl yet. Sakura-chan was saying that Kit seems to be extremely developed for his age."He said proudly, but then got quiet again. "Your Dad is looking for you too."

Myra laughed. "I know… I have about a million missed calls. You would think there was a war on or something."

There was a pregnant pause that hung in the air. Even though there was a distance of three miles, Myra could tune into his sudden mood change. Myra let out a sigh. "I guess there is. I'll get the details later. See you at eight. Love you."

0 – 0 – 0

Myra stood in the kitchen next to a small table that was decorated with a white table cloth, a small vase with a single purple orchid, flat ware, an elegant water glass and a long stem wine glass setting for two. She was waiting for two early guests to arrive. In fact, she could hear the shouts from the other side of the kitchen doors as she set down the napkins on the table. "Okay, I'm ready for them." Myra nodded to the waiter standing next to the large double doors.

A moment later, the large doors flew open. "Myra Ravenheart! What in the seven hells have you been doing all day?"

Myra smiled. "Nice to see you as well Lady Tsunade."

Myra's father glowered at her and said nothing. As much as Rai disliked his daughter disappearing act, the fact that she was in a kitchen and there was a host of smells meant that Myra had been planning and plotting all day.

"That didn't answer the question." Tsunade glared.

Myra bowed her head slightly in apology. "I am sorry. You are not exactly used to my methods. I have been analyzing the information I have access too, and I think I have come up with a viable solution to Sound. Also, I have it on good authority that the plans have to be moved up. Not that I blame you, but the situation has taken a turn in a direction no one could have foreseen. Please, sit at the table. Eat the fruits of my methodical thinking and I will explain."

Tsunade was seated on one side of the table and Rai sat on the other. Myra walked over and picked up two plates.

Tsunade picked up a fork. "So, you know what's going on?"

Myra smirked. "I don't know exactly what's going on. However, about three hours ago, the general mood of the village began to shift. The village is gearing up for war."

Rai beamed. "I take it your empathy hasn't been affected."

She set a plate in front of her father. "If anything, it's gotten stronger. I can focus on an individual as before, but I have a new sense of the village as a whole. You taught me to block out the emotions so I wouldn't be overwhelmed, and I appreciate that. But since I didn't have the extra chakra to build the barriers to defend against it, I had to do something. So I spent several days slowly letting the barriers fall. I became accustomed to the steady heart beat of the village. It's very calming once I could tap into it. Most days, there is a general sense of contentment. But a few hours ago that contentment shifted to a sense of foreboding with a twinge of fear."

Tsunade nodded. "We are sending a small force to Waterfall and an even smaller team to Sound. The bulk of our forces will stay here."

"Where am I going?" Myra stood back from the table.

Rai looked grim. "That depends on how much training you can get done in a week's time, because that's how long it is going to take to get the supplies and people together to leave for Waterfall."

Myra sighed. "My chakra control is better, but not at one hundred percent. I'd say it's at about high eighties, low nineties. I've been working on a way to tap into the Ethereal to give me a chakra boost if needed."

Rai scowled at her. "You aren't…"

Myra put up her hands to placate her father. "I've done it once, I can do it again."

Tsunade watched father and daughter intently. "What are you doing?"

Myra let out a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. "Basically, without going into a huge explanation, I am trying to perfect a jutsu that will allow my Ethereal image to be present on the Physical plane."

Tsunade looked stunned. "Is that even possible?"

"Yes it is. But it is extremely dangerous." Rai bit out furiously.

Myra rolled her eyes. "He's just worried I'm going to do something extremely reckless and get myself killed… again."

"Ahem." One of the waiters interrupted before Rai could say anything further. Myra looked up and the waiter motioned with his head that other guests were arriving.

Myra nodded to the waiter and stood strait again. "Well I hate to cut this short, but I have other guests that are clamoring for my attention." She sighed. "I will be in your office first thing in the morning Lady Tsunade. Dad, I am going to need a new tactical suit if I'm going anywhere, and a new set of sticks. Now please, no more talk of war. This is a family event. Enjoy the meal and enjoy the calm before the storm."

0 - 0 - 0

Next time:

Chapter 85: A Crash Course in Training

_A kunai 'thunked' into the tree not a hair's breath from his head. Naruto didn't flinch, but his eyes moved to look at the kunai still wobbling from the impact. "Perfect aim there Rabbit!"_

_Myra narrowed her eyes at the casual looking blonde. "What are you talking about? I missed."_

_Naruto stood tall from his causal leaning position against the tree. He turned a charming smile in Myra's direction. DAMN did she look glorious when she was mad._

_Myra stomped towards him and stood toe to toe with Naruto. She tilted her head slightly to glare at him. An idle thought broke through her anger, _When did he get taller? _She growled in frustration at her errant thought. "You said you wouldn't hold back." She poked him in the chest with one of her eskrima sticks for emphasis._

_Naruto rubbed his chest. Her face was flushed with anger and she was breathing heavily from her exertion. He couldn't help himself. Naruto reached out to pull her into a mind numbing kiss._

_Quicker than lightening, Myra rapped his knuckles none to gently. Completely pulling his mind out of the gutter, Naruto retracted his hands, shaking away the pain. "Ow!" That hurt a lot more than he thought it would._

_She poked his chest a little harder this time. "Don't hold back or you will be sleeping with the Kyuubi in the garden."_


	85. A Crash Course in Training

A/N: Damn is it hot around here! Summer is here and OH how I hate the heat. Lucky for me I am going to be staying inside where I have cold water, tea, and soda at my fingertips. It also means that I am going to be writing a WHOLE lot more. I actually have the time at the moment so I am going to take FULL advantage of it. My Muse is cooperating for the most part, which is a good thing. Must be the lack of daily stress, or it could be the nachos I had for dinner.

Warnings: All Hail Kishimoto! For he is the true owner and operator of Naruto and his friends. I have merely borrowed Naruto and Co. to fit my own nefarious purposes. (I so love the word 'Nefarious') I shall return Naruto and friends eventually relatively unharmed, but not necessarily unmolested. Did I mention this is an Adult story with Adult themes? If I didn't, and I know I have, You have been warned... Cary on. Oh, and review for Pete's sake!

**Previously:**

_Tsunade looked stunned. "Is that even possible?"_

_"Yes it is. But it is extremely dangerous." Rai bit out furiously._

_Myra rolled her eyes. "He's just worried I'm going to do something extremely reckless and get myself killed… again."_

_"Ahem." One of the waiters interrupted before Rai could say anything further. Myra looked up and the waiter motioned with his head that other guests were arriving._

_Myra nodded to the waiter and stood strait again. "Well I hate to cut this short, but I have other guests that are clamoring for my attention." She sighed. "I will be in your office first thing in the morning Lady Tsunade. Dad, I am going to need a new tactical suit if I'm going anywhere, and a new set of sticks. Now please, no more talk of war. This is a family event. Enjoy the meal and enjoy the calm before the storm."_

**Chapter 85: A Crash Course in Training.**

Myra handed everything she had to Tsunade. "It's all outlined in my report."

Tsunade picked up the older and started to read, though it was a bit difficult. Myra had typed out the report, but it was in English. Tsunade's English reading skills were lacking in the same way Myra's Japanese writing skills were atrocious. "Why don't you give me the basics?"

Myra sighed. "The gist is this. I summarize that a small ANBU force consisting of stealth and explosive experts could infiltrate Sound to the main power plant. The power plant is more than just a means to generate electricity. It's a volcanic regulator. You see Sound sits smack dab in the middle of a caldera, or supervolcano."

Tsunade's eyes went extremely wide. "You want to blow the volcano."

Myra expression didn't change. "My estimates say that it would destroy Sound completely, part of the unclaimed territory and the after shocks would affect most of the region for several months. But the damage would be contained in Sound. Orochimaru had plans in place should he ever be invaded. He would wait until the invading force was well within his borders and set the power plant to overload. According to Karin, there is a massive amount of explosives set around the main magma chamber. Should the power plant overload, it will trigger a chain reaction that will cause the caldera to implode. The rapid expansion of gasses and heat would then cause the gasses and magma to be pushed through the hundreds of pipes and be channeled into all the prisons, bases and labs, effectively destroying all of Sound and her enemies. Kabuto doesn't even know because despite Orochimaru's fondness for his personal Medic, he didn't trust him. Karin knew because she organized the entire thing."

Angry, narrowed eyes bore into Myra. "You expect me to allow you to slaughter thousands of innocent lives? And more importantly possibly endanger thousands more because of your obsession to destroy Sound?"

Myra took in a deep breath to calm her ire. She bit the inside of her cheek so she wouldn't say something sarcastic. "I would hope, Lady Tsunade you would do what needs to be done. It may not be right, but it needs to be done. And if it were such an obsession as you claim, why did I bother to write the report and bring it to you?"

Tsunade composed herself as well. "I cannot allow these extreme measures to be taken. The risk is too great. How do we know that the plan Orochimaru implemented isn't designed to start a chain reaction within the volcano system causing the entire volcano chain that runs straight through the Land of Fire to the other coast to start exploding all at once? Have you considered that?"

"It is a risk I am willing to take."

The Hokage stared at the girl in utter shock for a split second. Tsunade's brow furrowed in anger and her eyes hardened. "Then it's a good thing you aren't in a position to give orders."

"No, I'm not. You asked for my advice, and I gave it. Maybe Shikamaru and your other advisers can give you an alternative plan. I would like nothing more than to do this without the loss of life. But in a time of war there are three rules. Rule One: people die. Rule Two: you can't do shit about rule one. Rule three: better them than us."

Tsunade looked over the mission brief for a few moments while she considered Myra's words. She came to the last page where the statistics were outlined.

Mission Success Probability: 80%

Casualties for Sound: 90%

Casualties for outlying areas: 30%

Team Casualties: 95%

Tsunade's eyes widened again. "This is a suicide mission!"

Myra swallowed. "It's a 'Hail Mary' (E/N#1) mission. The odds of succeeding are acceptable. Casualties for Sound and outlying areas are acceptable…"

"No!" Tsunade threw the brief on her desk. "It is NOT acceptable for the mission to be a success and the team to die."

"There isn't enough time for the team to get in, set the explosives and get to a safe distance from the main explosion. The power plant is heavily guarded. The stealth experts would be able to get us in. Getting out would be difficult if the alarms start. Unless there is a miracle and the team is able to find alternative means of faster transportation, they couldn't reach a minimum safe distance in the time allotted." Myra kept calm regardless of how she was feeling.

"Surely if you can get a safe distance from the plant…"

Myra let out a sad sound. "I don't think you understand the magnitude of this explosion. Sound IS the epicenter of the caldera. The power plant sits to the northern most tip of the magma chamber. The entire country Orochimaru called Sound will become a heated mass of gasses and rubble in a matter of minutes after the power plant explodes. We would be able to get a safe distance from the power plant explosion, but when the magma chamber erupts, there won't be anywhere to run."

Tsunade took a deep breath calming her frustration at the situation. "I will have a few more people look at this plan and see if it's a viable one."

Myra nodded and turned on her heels to walk out the door.

"Myra?" Tsunade's voice hinted of concern.

Myra turned and blinked at the Hokage. "Yes ma'am?"

"You still plan on leading this mission regardless of the outcome, don't you?"

"Yes." The woman at the door answered with conviction.

"If you don't come back…" Tsunade's fist tightened.

Myra smiled. "Hey, impossible I'm used to. Miracles take a little more time. So I figure by the time the team gets to the power plant and places all the explosives, I will have found my miracle."

0 – 0 – 0

"It is an acceptable operation." The black silhouette on the screen from the Land of Fire informed Tsunade.

"I concur. The Land of Lightening will be prepared for any fall out." A second silhouetted figured squirmed uncomfortably.

"I understand the magnitude of this situation, but I am not sure I agree with the methods." A female voice from the Land of Water came from another screen.

Tsunade glared at the female silhouette. The Hokage was not sure if the Land of Water's Diamyo was involved with Madara or not, so she wasn't going to take the chance. It was all to be blamed on Orochimaru and Kabuto (E/N #2). "I am not overly fond of the methods either, but we've had our analysts go over the information with a fine tooth comb. We have sent the information to allied nations gathered here to see if another solution can be found. All of your ministers, advisors, and tacticians have said the same thing. If Kabuto is building an army, then it must be dealt with by any means necessary. Konoha is willing to send the team, but only with the approval of all the nations involved. The main explosion and resulting after shocks will affect everyone but Sound will be destroyed along with the technology Orochimaru and subsequently Kabuto was allowed to cultivate to serve their own nefarious purposes."

The Diamyo from Water nodded solemnly. "Then it seems I have no other choice but to agree."

The Fat silhouette from Wind nodded on his screen. "We agree as well. We have enjoyed a prosperous time of peace and it must be protected at all costs."

The young boy from Earth hung his head. "I'm not sure what I should say, but it seems that my advisors agree with this plan." The boy, though hidden by a screen to give him a black silhouetted appearance on the monitor, seemed to spring up and brighten on the screen. "Oh, and I am supposed to say that we have sent orders to the Tsuchikage to assist if possible."

Tsunade hid her chuckle at the boy's enthusiasm, but didn't manage to hide her smirk. "Any help from that old geezer would be appreciated."

"Then it is approved. You have an agreement from the Five Countries to proceed." The figure of Mifune appeared on a sixth screen. "I would like to extend my best wishes in your success."

All the Diamyo's nodded in agreement and the screens blipped off. Tsunade exhaled the breath she had been holding for quite sometime. She exited the communication room and was met by Kakashi. "They agreed to this madness."

"This madness was endorsed by several advisors from several different places. I wouldn't have brought it this far had I not gotten the same answer. Had there been a doubt in anyone's mind that it wasn't worth the try, I wouldn't have gone as far as I have. The entire Konoha Counsel is in agreement. The Five Countries are in agreement. Kabuto and Madara cannot be allowed to continue building this army. It is as Myra called it, a 'Hail Mary' mission. The chances of it succeeding and dealing a great blow to Madara are better than normal."

Kakashi considered for a moment. "But is she ready? Myra has no experience with teamwork. She is used to doing things on her own."

Tsunade nodded. "That is why she is training with Naruto and anyone else that will let her play whack-a-shinobi." Tsunade chuckled and then fell silent. "She hasn't told Naruto she may not be coming back."

"It isn't wise to keep something like that from him."

"No it isn't. Naruto has become keenly aware of people keeping things from him. Fortunately, Myra is the best at keeping her secrets secret. And she isn't the only one keeping secrets from him. That boy has to learn that he can't allow his emotions to play a factor in his actions. Or at least think before he acts. Although, I will admit it makes him easy to predict."

Kakashi laughed. "I never thought I would ever hear anyone tell me that Naruto was predictable."

"He is very predictable in certain situations and predictably unpredictable everywhere else." Tsunade sighed heavily. "I need you to go through every ANBU you have. I need three of the best at stealth and explosives you've got. Myra will be taking lead and Sai will accompany as her second. Send Sai to give her the news the mission is a go."

"Understood." Kakashi nodded and was gone in a puff of smoke.

0 – 0 – 0

Sai stood next to Naruto in shock. "You are letting her beat you?"

Naruto leaned against the tree. "Yep."

"But how is that going to teach her anything?" Sai blinked.

"It's a demonstration of insurmountable odds."

Sai thought that over for a moment. First the artist realized that Naruto being around Myra had rubbed off on the dumb blonde because Sai didn't know Naruto had a vocabulary like that. Second, he really didn't understand whose odds were insurmountable. "Then shouldn't you be the one winning?"

Naruto shrugged. "I thought about it, but it's better if I let her have her way."

Out of the center of the dust cloud in the clearing a kunai came flying towards Naruto. Sai reactively hit the deck. The kunai 'thunked' into the tree not a hair's breath from Naruto's head. Naruto didn't flinch, but his eyes shifted to glance at the kunai still wobbling from the impact. "Perfect aim Rabbit!"

The dust cloud settled. Sai was stunned at what he saw in front of him. Myra was wearing a full black body suit that hugged her every curve. There were places that were obviously reinforced by armor, but the way the suit melded to her body the armor was barely noticeable unless you got up close and personal. She had a belt that hung low on her hips and looked to be compartmentalized to keep small things in. On her feet were some strange looking boots and not the open toed sandals preferred by most ninja, of course Sai had to remind himself, Myra wasn't most ninja. The most striking feature of the boots where the long silver shaft that started at the ankle and stopped at her knees. She was also carrying two long wooden sticks in one hand. Sai thought it had to be extremely hot in all that black.

Myra looked fit to be tied. Myra narrowed her eyes at the casual looking blonde and completely ignored Sai. "What are you talking about? I missed."

Myra stomped towards the blonde. Sai wasn't exactly sure how to deal with this situation, so he interrupted. "Um… Myra-san… I have…"

Myra turned her glare at Sai. "Fuck off a moment Fly Boy I'm busy with Pretty Boy!"

Sai blinked in surprise and thought best to keep quiet for the moment. Naruto stood tall from his causal leaning position against the tree. He turned a charming smile in Myra's direction. _DAMN_ did she look glorious when she was mad?

Myra took a deep breath and stood toe to toe with the blonde. She tilted her head up slightly to glare at Naruto. An idle thought broke through her anger, _When did he get taller?_ She growled in frustration at her errant thought. "You said you wouldn't hold back." She poked him in the chest with one of her eskrima sticks for emphasis.

Naruto rubbed his chest. Her face was flushed with anger and she was breathing heavily from her exertion. He couldn't help himself. Naruto reached out to pull her into a mind-numbing kiss.

Quicker than lightening, Myra rapped his knuckles none too gently. Completely pulling his mind out of the gutter, Naruto retracted his hands, shaking away the pain. "Ow!" That hurt a lot more than he thought it would.

She poked his chest a little harder this time. "Don't hold back, or you will be sleeping with the Kyuubi in the garden."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't?"

Myra's eyes narrowed to mere slits and her nose flared as she took a quick breath. "Watch me!" She growled out. She spun on her heels to return to her previous position in the center of the clearing. She stopped about two steps later realizing she had told Sai where to stick it for a minute. He had obviously come to give her the news she had been waiting for most of the day. Myra twisted her neck to remove a few kinks. She let out a frustrated sigh. "Sai, you have news for me?"

Sai blinked. "Tsunade says we are a go."

It was imperceptible to Sai, but Naruto caught the slight fluctuation in the temperature around her. It was something he was beginning to notice the more that he was around her. The more time he spent with her, he could read the tell tail signs that she had something heavy weighing on her mind. He knew it was the upcoming mission. She had told him that the mission was going to be dangerous. She had even tried to tell him there was a chance she wasn't going to come back. Naruto had been ready to start ranting and raving right then and there.

[Flash Back]

_Earlier that morning_

Tears had settled in her eyes but refused to fall. "You can't."

"Why can't I? I'm the one that is supposed to be saving the world! Not you. I'm supposed to protect my precious people!" He was barely keeping his anger in check.

"Love, you are going to wake Minato, and I will be very cross if you do." She tried to sooth him.

"I don't care if I wake up the whole damn village! You are NOT going. I won't let you kill yourself…"

Myra placed a hand on his chest and let her chakra flow through him. Naruto pushed her hand away from him and stood from the bed. "Don't do that!" He turned to her with a nasty glare. "I want to be angry at you. And I don't give a crap if it hurts you or not. I want you to know how this pisses me off. I want you to understand that if you don't come back it's gonna kill me."

Myra placed her hands in her lap. Her eyes cast to the floor. "And my leaving you and Minato here with the possibility of not coming back is killing me too. I had to look at the situation with objectivity. I had to separate myself from my heart in order to realize the truth of the situation. This one strike could bring down everything that Madara is trying to accomplish. It could stop him in his tracks." She let out a breath. Myra looked up at him. Sorrow, sadness, and her love for him were written in her expression, but it changed just as quickly to mild anger. The lights around her flickered slightly. "And before you go all sanctimonious on me, you would do exactly the same thing if giving the chance. How is it any different?"

Blue eyes did a quick sweep of all the lights in the room before he blinked at her. "Because I'm the one doing it." He said with finality and as if that was the answer to everything.

The fire of defiance danced in her eyes as she countered his argument. "I ask you again, how is that different? You can gladly sacrifice yourself for the betterment of mankind, but I'm not allowed? Talk about a double standard. Look, I have faith in you and I believe in you. I know without any doubts in my mind that you will protect Minato. He will grow strong and be happy. I want to be there for that. I have every intention on coming back. I mean come on! I've already come back from the dead for you once, how hard would it be to do it a second time?"

Naruto just stared at her. She was joking to hide her fear and doubts about herself. Myra needed him to have the same belief and faith in her that she did in him. He sat on the bed next to her, pulling her into his chest. "If you don't come back I will find you." He vowed.

Myra wrapped her arms around him holding him as if her life depended on it. She smiled into his chest. "Nah… you'd wait for me."

Naruto placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Always."

[End of flash back]

Even after accepting her possible fate, it didn't mean it didn't scare the shit out of her. Myra's back straightened. "Alright Pretty Boy, if you don't want to sleep in the garden, I suggest we get back to work."

"Myra-san, may I?" Sai raised his hand. "Since we are to be together on this mission, I would like a better understand of your abilities."

Myra slowly turned to Sai with a cold stare. Sai suppressed the urge to step back. Naruto suppressed the urge to laugh. A few leaves drifted on the wind that seemed chillier despite the blazing sun over head. "I want you to come at me with everything you've got."

"I could seriously injure you should I do that." Sai kept his voice monotone and unconcerned.

"Did you ever go easy on any of your other friends?" Her stare remained cold.

"That is different." Sai said plainly.

Naruto shrugged. "I tried to explain it to her."

"Obviously your mouth got in the way and you didn't explain anything." Sai smiled falsely at Naruto.

Myra giggled. "Actually it was his tongue." Myra turned around to see Naruto turning several shades of red. Sai's eyes brows were raised curiously. She shook her head. "Please explain it Sai."

The artist nodded. "To spar with people I know and consider friends is much different. I know their strengths and weaknesses. I know how and when to avoid a certain move and when and how to hit back. It is a matter of training with people you trust for years. I have neither spared with you, nor witnessed you in battle. I can not accurately gage how effective an all out fight would be."

Myra took on a thinking pose. She had not really considered that. She had gotten use to sparing with Lee. His fighting style was similar to her own and they knew when to duck and weave. "I will concede to your point. We will start out slow and work our way up."

Naruto pouted. "Why didn't you concede to my point?"

Myra raised an eyebrow. "You made a completely different point and I was not in the mood to call my father and explain to him why I needed yet ANOTHER tac suit." She smiled sinfully.

Naruto's cheeks heated again.

"Naruto, I think you need some shade. Your face is really red." Sai pointed out.

Myra stifled her laughter. Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sai and grumbled incoherent things about nosy artists ruining perfectly good alone time.

Sai started to stretch a little. "Would you like to start with hand to hand before we incorporate any jutsu?"

Myra tossed her wooden eskrima sticks in Naruto's direction. "That works for me." She turned and head back to the center of the clearing. She took a few more steps and looked over her shoulder. "Sai, you know I'm not going to be upset if you kick my ass."

Sai smirked. "I am not going to hurt you Myra-san. I wouldn't dream of kicking your ass."

The area around them suddenly became cold. Naruto rolled his eyes. "Bad move."

There was a blur of movement and Myra had wrapped her knees around Sai's neck. Myra flipped her body weight taking Sai to the unforgiving ground. He landed, splayed on his back. The sudden and unexpected impact knocked the air from his lungs. Before Sai had a chance to take in a breath, Myra's knees and full body weight were on his chest preventing the act of breathing. Red rimmed brown bore into black. Nothing but cold killing intend poured off of her. "You better kick my ass Fly Boy." She whispered almost seductively. "Because I will kick yours if you let me."

Seconds ticked by for what seemed like an eternity to the gasping Sai. Myra jumped off his chest. Sai coughed a few times while getting to his feet. He looked to Naruto first, who merely shrugged as if to say _you did it to yourself_.

Sai turned an emotionless glare at her. "You are very serious about this are you not?"

Myra smirked. "No shit."

Sai dusted himself off. "Then I apologize for not taking this as seriously as I should have."

Myra smiled. "Apology…"

Sai's fist connected with her jaw.

Myra was knocked back a few steps. She rubbed at her jaw and flicked her tongue out to lick the blood from her lip. When she looked back at Sai, there was an evil glint in her eyes that bespoke of pain. "Oh now it's on!"

0 – 0 – 0

There was a nagging at the back of his mind. He needed to do something even though Myra had told him not to. This was one of those times when he needed someone to talk to and he didn't think Sasuke would be the right person. He had been laying awake for a while now and the nagging wasn't going away. Myra was curled up next to him sound asleep. It didn't even look like she was dreaming. The sparing match with Sai had turned into an all out brawl. Naruto would never call her "sticks" stupid again. Once she let her lightening nature course through the silver plated Eskrima sticks, Sai had a hard time defending. Naruto chuckled. He hadn't seen Sai show any emotion, but Myra got him to show anger. Sai was livid when Myra broke his hand.

The fight was over by that time anyway. Myra was exhausted and since Sai couldn't use his Artsy Ninjutsu, they called it quits for the day. Myra healed his hand and was smiling as Sai walked out of the clearing. He was headed back to the hospital to get his hand treated properly because he was going to need it. Sai was actually concerned that he couldn't feel his fingers. Myra just kept smiling until Sai was out of sight. She wobbled and Naruto was there to catch her. She had fainted. It was about two minutes later that she came around. She blinked up at Naruto, who had her in his arms, hurrying back to the house before anyone could notice her collapse.

It was in that moment that the doubts started to roll over him. _Why did I have fall for a woman just as stubborn and determined as I am?_ He thought as he gently got out of bed. She slept better when he was around. Of course he slept a lot better when she was around. And he wanted to keep it that way for as long as he could. There were five more days before everyone left and he would be stuck in the village just in case. _Just in case of what?_ Naruto thought idly.

Naruto had gotten dressed and was walking through the streets of Konoha before he really knew where he was or where he was going. It wasn't until he was standing at the top of the Kage Monument overlooking the village that he sat down and dangled his feet over the large effigy of his father. _He would know what to do._

"_He would tell you that allowing Myra to lead this mission would benefit all of mankind. She isn't doing this because she wants to. I should know, I can read her better than anyone. She is doing this to ensure a future for you and her son."_ The bird he had not seen in weeks perched on his shoulder.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "What would you know Bird Brain?"

Edgar chuckled. _"I know everything. I am the Spirit of Knowledge. It is my duty to know."_

"If you know everything, then tell me the answer to the problem. Tell me how I can make sure the team gets back alive!" The blonde yelled hotly.

Edgar let out a sigh. _"I know of many ways. But I must know, is it the team you wish to save, or only Myra."_

Naruto glared at Edgar. "All of them."

The bird tilted his head and stared back at Naruto. _"You cannot lie to me boy, I can see into your heart. I can see that you could care less if the other's return, as long as she returns alive."_

Naruto looked away. Was it true? Did he really care less? Naruto took a moment to think. He set aside how he felt about Myra. He tried to think of this mission like any other. Naruto went over the plan again in his head. He would want Myra on the mission so he knew it would get done. He would want people there to back her up that could be of assistance to her. But the more he thought about it, and the more he agonized over it, he came to the same conclusion. He opened his eyes and stared at the bird. "I would want them all to come back. Yes, Myra specifically. Would I care if the others were killed, YES! It matters to me how many come back. They all need to come back alive. I would be really pissed off if someone got hurt or even died. I would be even more pissed off if it were Myra. Could I forgive Sai if he came back and Myra didn't, probably not. I'm not going to fool myself into believing that I wouldn't be bitter and upset and even hate him. But I accept that as part of who she is and what she has to do."

There was a long silence, as the large black bird seemed to consider something. _"Kakashi has a kunai he keeps as a memento and reminder of his Sensei. I suggest you ask him about it."_ The bird ruffled his feathers and dove off the cliff face leave Naruto to continue to ponder life in general.

0 – 0 – 0

The large black bird perched in a tree near the edge of the village. _"I told him what I could."_

A young male figure, not much more than thirteen stopped his training for a moment and looked up at the Hokage Monument. He was dressed in black for the most part. His shirt was black and his shorts were black, except for the orange and red flames dancing at the bottom of his shorts. The boy's shaggy blood orange hair was in desperate need of a trim. His violet eyes seemed to glow through the darkness and see the blonde standing high atop the mountain. "You think it was enough?"

"_It was more than enough. I don't think he is THAT dense?"_

"_**You obviously don't know Naruto very well." **_The human form Kyuubi appeared in the moonlight next to the boy.

"He'll get it. He has too, right?" The boy turned worried violet eyes to the Kyuubi. "What is he getting again?"

The Kyuubi sighed. _**"Come Brat, we have more to do. If he figures out Knowledge's cryptic message, I will most likely be lending him the chakra to do it."**_

The boy continued to gaze up at where he thought Naruto would be. "Kyuubi-san… Does he know yet?"

The Kyuubi's line of sight went from the boy's to Naruto's figure on the Hokage Monument. _**"He knows nothing of your training as of yet."**_

The boy took off running. "Then I guess now is good a time as any!"

"_**Get back here, Brat!"**_ The Kyuubi yelled half heartedly. _**"I am not going to stand here and train myself!"**_

"_You aren't going to go after him?"_ Edgar ruffled his feathers.

The Kyuubi smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. _**"No."**_

"_But didn't Myra tell Naruto?"_

The Fox shook his head. _**"Myra knows that I expressed a interest in training Minato, but she does not know that I started his training the moment she allowed it. We started training in the Ethereal while the boy slept. But training in the Ethereal over develops the mind and does little to nothing for the body. I taught the boy how to transform into his Ethereal Image, and like his father he took to the transformation like a fish to water."**_

Edgar stared at the Kyuubi in disbelief. _"Accelerating a human's physical growth could…"_

"_**I know. I was the one that warned Myra to begin with. However, since then I have discovered something extremely interesting about Minato."**_

The large bird tilted his head. _"Oh, and what is it that?"_

A pleased grin spread across the Kyuubi's face. _**"Minato is far from human."**_

0 – 0 – 0

E/N #1: The term "Hail Mary" has become generalized to refer to any last ditch effort with little chance of success. It is also a reference to the Catholic prayer "Hail Mary".

0 – 0 – 0

Oooo… Cliffy…

0 – 0 – 0

**Next time: Chapter 86: It all came crashing down.**

"_So am I his father?" He steeled himself for the answer he didn't want, but needed anyway._

"_**Yes."**_

_Naruto's eyes snapped to the Kyuubi, though he was secretly relieved. "But…"_

_The Kyuubi held up his hand. __**"It seems that where you have no outward appearances, besides the whisker marks and certain personality quirks, you carry the blood of a full demon fox."**_

_Naruto took another gulp of sake._

"_**There is more."**_

_Naruto groaned and his forehead hit the table with a small thud._


	86. It all came crashing down

A/N: Ok boys and girls, here's the scoop. I took three months off to spend time with my daughter. Yeah, I know, shocker. But that doesn't mean I didn't have time in those rare moments to sit down and do a little writing. And when I say little… I mean VERY little. You have to realize, where most people posting on this site have to worry about exams and homework… I have to worry about paying the bills and keeping a roof over my head. Trust me when I say looking for a job that will do that, it's an eight hour a day thing. PLUS keeping a 12 year old entertained for a whole day it doesn't leave time to do much of anything else. Then there was laying the new tile in my living room AND finishing all the decorating stuff I had planned to do four years ago when I first moved into my apartment. I had an awesome vacation, have a CLEAN house, had some great moments with the kiddo before she went back to school (Her new nickname is Teen-zilla because of the attitude she's beginning to develop.), and top everything off, I finally have a job I just started. The hours are screwy, but I'll survive. And it PAYS, which is indicative of paying bills and keeping my apartment. In the meantime, my poor, poor Muse became extremely bored, and now won't leave me alone. I would promise that I would update more often, but life still sucks as usual and I will post what I can when I can. The only thing I will promise is an ending. Now here is something long to help out with the long wait.

Warnings: I don't own it… So yeah… If wishes were fishes… I would have an ocean.

**_Previously:_**

_Tsunade composed herself as well. "I cannot allow these extreme measures to be taken. The risk is too great. How do we know that the plan Orochimaru implemented isn't designed to start a chain reaction within the volcano system causing the entire volcano chain that runs straight through the Land of Fire to the other coast to start exploding all at once? Have you considered that?"_

"_It is a risk I am willing to take."_

_The Hokage stared at the girl in utter shock for a split second. Tsunade's brow furrowed in anger and her eyes hardened. "Then it's a good thing you aren't in a position to give orders."_

"_No, I'm not. You asked for my advice, and I gave it. Maybe Shikamaru and your other advisers can give you an alternative plan. I would like nothing more than to do this without the loss of life. But in a time of war there are three rules. Rule One: people die. Rule Two: you can't do shit about rule one. Rule three: better them than us."_

_Tsunade looked over the mission brief for a few moments while she considered Myra's words. She came to the last page where the statistics were outlined._

_Mission Success Probability: 80%_

_Casualties for Sound: 90%_

_Casualties for outlying areas: 30%_

_Team Casualties: 95%_

_Tsunade's eyes widened again. "This is a suicide mission!"_

And now…

**Chapter 86: It all came crashing down.**

Sasuke entered the house and didn't bother to close the door behind him. He hurried into the living room and had embraced Sakura before she could notice he was there. It would have been a very tender and loving moment had it not been for the circumstances of Sasuke's return to Konoha. Sakura cried into his shoulder as he pressed his nose onto the crown of her head. The Uchiha rubbed his wife's back, trying to sooth her grieving sobs, even though he knew there wasn't much he could do for her. Sakura pulled him closer. "He's so angry, Sasuke." The woman whispered.

Sasuke continued to rub her back. "I know. I saw the area where he's being contained at the moment. Where's Minato?"

Sakura pushed away from Sasuke and started to walk down the hallway towards the nursery. "He brought Minato to me before… well before the volcano erupted. I knew something was wrong when he wasn't even bothering to fake his smile. He handed Minato to me, told me to make sure Minato was taken care of, and then left. At the time I didn't know what was going on. Then the earthquakes started. It was a few hours later that I found out about Myra. Tsunade told me while I was helping with the injuries from the earthquakes. I tried to talk to him and he told me to go away. At first, everyone that tried to get near Naruto was just told to leave him alone. We aren't sure what Lee did to cause the change, but," she gently opened the door to the nursery, "Lee is in critical condition and Lady Tsunade honestly doesn't know if Lee will ever walk again."

Sasuke saw the boy sleeping peacefully next to his small daughter. Sasuke felt the rush of his newly acquired fatherly protective instincts. And those instincts screamed that they didn't like this situation in the least. It was a scene of pure innocence. He shouldn't have to worry about boys being within breathing distance of Yuki until she was older, but something about Minato being in such close proximity to Saiyuki did not sit very well with Sasuke.

Sasuke reached into the crib to pick up his sleeping daughter. Before Sasuke could pull his daughter from the crib, a small growl could be heard. The Uchiha looked to Minato. The boy was wide awake and glaring at Sasuke with feral violet eyes. The boy blinked a few times to focus on the intruder and the growling stopped. Minato's eyes returned to their normal bright luster and he scooted away from Sasuke.

"He's been doing that lately. I think it's kind of cute." Sakura chuckled lightly.

Sasuke picked up his baby girl, placing her on his shoulder. "Hn." He glared momentarily at the boy before softening his gaze and turning to his wife. The boy in question shrunk to the farthest corner of the crib, scolding himself for growling at his Uncle.

It was a few minutes while Sasuke was the epitome of fatherly love and pride in his daughter. He stood in the middle of the room just holding her, bouncing her softly, and nuzzling the soft hair atop her head. The baby started to snuffle and gurgle signaling that it was time for a feeding. Sakura held out her arms. "Hand her here."

The pinkette had to stifle the giggle at the look Sasuke gave her. He was so cute when he wanted to be, especially when no one else was looking. She cherished these moments when Sasuke would let his indifferent mask fall away and be human. Sasuke placed a small kiss to the top of his daughter's head and handed her over to Sakura.

The baby girl gurgled a few times in protest of being moved from such a warm place. "There, there," the new mother cooed. "Oka-san has you." Sakura rubbed the little girl's back. "I'm going to go feed her, you going to come with me?" She asked with a smile.

"I can't stay too long. Lady Tsunade wants me to attempt to calm Naruto as soon as possible. Right now he seems to be quiet as long as no one gets too close to the clearing. I wanted to see you and Yuki before I tried."

Sakura had been at the hospital when Neji and Hinata had brought Lee into the hospital. It wasn't a pretty sight and now Sakura truly feared for Sasuke. "Please be careful."

Sasuke pulled Sakura and his daughter into a tight embrace. "I will."

The seemingly forgotten boy in the crib rolled his violet eyes. They were just as bad as HIS parents. Then the boy remembered something that tore his heart out. His mother was gone, and his father was slowly allowing grief to consume him. The Fox hadn't been seen for at least a week and Minato had been sworn to secrecy about his abilities. He had at least gotten the chance to tell his father though.

[Flash Back]

Naruto had come down from the Hokage Monument still as confused and troubled as he was when he had climbed up the damn thing. At least now he was tired. The blonde trudged along the path leading home. His hands were in his pockets, and he really wasn't paying attention to anything. It was late, or early depending on whom you asked, and there really wasn't anyone out this late, just him and his deep thoughts of how screwed up his life was. The love of his life had willingly plotted, accepted, and was leading a suicide mission. His best friend was going on a rescue mission, which was the cause of said suicide mission. And what was he doing while all this spectacular heroics were going on? _Here in the village… Doing absolutely fucking nothing!_

_Well not nothing_, he mused. He had gotten a clue from one of the birds on how to help Myra. But as usual, it didn't make sense. And to think, he was talking to the bird that actually was SUPPOSED to make sense. Naruto stopped walking and his shoulders slumped a little further. He had to figure out what the bird meant. _Kakashi has a kunai he keeps as a memento and reminder of his Sensei._ _Did that bird even know how many people taught Kakashi over the years? _Naruto started to chuckle at his own internal musings. _Yes, that fucking know-it-all bird knows EXACTLY how many instructors Kakashi Sensei's had over the years._

The blonde sighed again and started walking back towards the house. There wasn't anything he could do about it this late at night anyway. He would wait until morning and then bash in Kakashi's door. "That's what I'll do." He nodded to himself.

When he had resigned himself to not thinking about life in general, go home and sleep with a certain dark haired beauty, the distinct feeling of being watched crept down his spine. Naruto kept walking, but slowed his pace just slightly. It wasn't Konohamaru. The kid hadn't tried to sneak up on him in years. It wasn't some villager thinking about roughing up the demon spawn of Konoha. Though Naruto was used to that kind of treatment from fearful citizens, it was another thing that hadn't happened in years. Naruto concentrated. The presence felt familiar but just foreign enough to make Naruto cautious. Whoever it was kept far enough distance to be on the edge of Naruto senses. The blonde sighed. _I could use a good distraction._ Naruto flickered out of sight.

Naruto hid himself in a tree not far away from the path he was taking, suppressing every ounce of chakra he could. After a few moments, a black figure emerged onto the sidewalk. Naruto could only see a silhouette of a kid standing in the darkness between two of the lamps that lit the path Naruto had been walking. The kid cursed his luck and shoved his hands into his pockets. The blonde had to wonder why a young kid like this was out so late. Then again, Naruto could remember several late night training sessions where he was out all night. Those were the days when Naruto was trying to get ahead of Sasuke by busting his ass with every waking moment. He vaguely wondered if the kid was trying to get ahead of a rival at the academy and thought it fortunate that the next Hokage was out and about at the same time.

Naruto chuckled. He waited until the kid passed him on the street, before he silently jumped down behind the kid. "What are you doing out this late?" Naruto said in a commanding tone. The elder blonde had to keep himself from jumping. It was a deep rich tone that sounded more like the Kyuubi and Naruto didn't know if he liked that tone.

The boy froze in place with a start. He was still in shadow and Naruto couldn't really get a good look at him to figure out if he knew this kid or not. The boy didn't turn. "Um… I'm out with my sensei training tonight." It was more of a question than it was a statement.

"Uh huh." Naruto sounded skeptical. "So where is your sensei?"

The boy still hadn't turned around. "Well, you see… That's difficult to answer 'cause I sort of ran off without my sensei. 'Cause I saw you up on the monument and well… I wanted to talk to you… Yeah…" It sounded good when Minato was thinking it up. Now that he had spoken it out loud, it sounded stupid and contrived. Not to mention that it sounded like a complete load of crap. Minato groaned inwardly. He apparently did not inherit his mother's knack for making anything sound believable.

Naruto blinked and his ego inflated. The kid DID want to talk to him. Naruto needed a calendar or something to mark this auspicious day. There was something extremely awesome about being sought out by the youth of Konoha, but the years of mistreatment still made Naruto a bit skeptical. "You wanted to talk to me?"

Minato turned around and stepped into the light. There was a smile on his whiskered face that lit up his violet eyes. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you."

Naruto gawked at the kid that had to be about twelve or thirteen and looked almost identical to Naruto. Well, except his hair was blood orange and his eyes were deep violet almost purple. The kid looked familiar, but Naruto just couldn't quiet place him. "So what's your name kid?"

"You don't know who I am?" The boy sounded disappointed.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously. "No offence kid, but should I? I mean I've been to the academy and helped with Iruka Sensei a few times, but I don't remember every kid I meet."

The boy hung his head and stiffened. His own father didn't recognize him. It hurt, but Minato had to remember that his father wasn't exactly the brightest when it came to something being shoved in his face. Minato sighed. "It's ok and we didn't meet at the academy 'cause I don't go to the academy, yet."

"Oh, so you're like Konohamaru and have a tutor!" Naruto smiled wide. "Guess you saw me and my awesomeness and thought I could teach you something cool." The kid looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. In that moment, the kid looked a lot like Myra eyeing Naruto after he had said something silly or completely off the mark.

"Ah, yes and no." the boy squirmed. "Do I have a special tutor, you could say that, but I would highly stress the word 'special'." Minato chewed his bottom lip. "I saw you and thought I would meet you this way."

Naruto blinked. "This way?" The elder blonde was confused and a little hurt. "So your parents don't like me is that it?"

Minato immediately picked up on his father's discomfort and twinge of resentment. "No, nothing like that." The boy scratched his head. "Mom LOVES you, are you kidding? Why would you think she didn't?"

"What about your father?" Naruto was concerned. He didn't want to get the kid in trouble.

"My dad?" The boy smiled big. "I don't know. What do you think about yourself?"

"I think I'm a great person. Smart, funny, and an all around good guy." Naruto scoffed. "But what does that have to do with what YOUR father thinks?" Naruto was standing there looking in a mirror. The boy gave him the foxiest, most devious grin he had ever seen. It was HIS grin. It was HIS signature, 'I'm going to get into so much trouble' grin.

"I don't know, DAD, I thought you would want to teach me something cool."

Naruto just stared. "Um… I hate to break it to you kid, but that's impossible. You're what, eleven? Twelve? I'm not THAT old. I hadn't met Kakashi Sensei OR Pervy Sage yet so I didn't even know about that kind of stuff when you were born."

Minato laughed. "I'm not that old either."

Naruto lifted a blonde eyebrow. "How old are you?"

Minato took a deep breath. This was the moment his father would figure it out. "My birthday is April 1st. I'm three going on four months. But with all the training in the Ethereal, I got to grow up a bit."

Naruto sat on the bench that was closest to him and just stared, completely dumbfounded. "You're Minato aren't you?"

The boy trotted over to Naruto and took a seat next to his shocked father, dangling his feet above the ground.

The blonde took in several deep breaths. "This is the Kyuubi's handy work isn't it?"

"Are you gonna be mad at him?" Minato looked concerned for the demon. And then there was no doubt in Naruto's mind that this was Myra's son sitting next him because before Naruto could answer, the boy started to talk faster than a cheetah on crystal meth. "Cause it isn't all Kyuubi's fault, Mama started it. She said she would ask Gramps if he would make me bigger and he DID tell her 'no'. Hell, he told me 'no' the first time I met him and asked. THEN, Gramps said I couldn't call him Gramps, even though that's what he is, but he said I had to call him Kyuubi-Sensei, which I think is stupid, but hey what can you say to a demon? Anyway…"

Naruto put his hand over Minato's mouth. "I get the point. Your Oka-san asked and the Kyuubi caved… Why am I not surprised?" he mumbled the last part.

Minato shook his head and pulled his father's hand from his mouth. "Oh… No, Gramps didn't cave. Mama doesn't know." The boy shook his head. "He told her he could do it, but wouldn't cause he didn't want me to get hurt. But when I learned the transformation jutsu that makes me look older and it lasted more than a few minutes, Gramps figured that it was something only certain people with the same blood can do."

Naruto stared at Minato. "What?"

"There's something about my blood, I guess. I don't understand it really. It has something to do with my pants 'cause I heard Lady Bird and Gramps talking about my jeans."

Naruto lifted a confused eyebrow. "Your pants?"

The boy nodded.

They sat in silence for several long minutes as the cool night air whistled through the trees. Naruto didn't really know what to think about all this. It was just one more thing that confused the hell out of him, made him a tad bit angry, one more thing that he didn't know about; one more thing that Myra wasn't going to tell him, and one more thing that was going to give him a raging headache if he thought about it for too long. "Is there anything else you know that I don't?"

Minato shrugged. "What'cha wanna know?"

"Why didn't your Oka-san tell me any of this?"

"I already told it was 'cause she doesn't know. Well not really. Something about if anyone asked her she would have plastic deniables."

"Plausible deniability?"

Minato nodded vigorously. "Yeah, that!"

Naruto rubbed his temple. There it was, that raging headache beginning to form behind his eyes. His mood was starting to sour with each passing moment. Minato felt the change in his father's mood. "You mad at me?"

Naruto looked at Minato. Fear crossed over violet orbs. Minato truly thought Naruto was angry at him for all this. It wasn't the kid's fault. It wasn't anyone's fault really. Of course Naruto had just settled into the idea of being a father to a child that was just learning to crawl and now to be presented with a teenager was a bit much to take in. But there was one thing Naruto had to realize. Minato was sensitive to his mood changes. Minato could feel his anger rising and the boy thought it was directed at him. Naruto had to stop that. "No, I'm not mad at you, the situation maybe, because it seems as if I don't matter in this family and I am supposed to be the head of the family."

Minato's eyes widened. "Oh… I thought Mama was the head of the family 'cause she was smarter than you. At least that's what Gramps said."

That was the last straw. The camel's back was now broken and the camel was about to explode all over the village. Naruto grabbed Minato's wrist and pulled him off the bench. Minato felt the anger his father was radiating in waves and dug his heels into the pavement. "No wait, I told you! Mama doesn't know anything!"

"I can't believe she doesn't know. I can't believe she would NOT tell me something like this!" Naruto pulled on the boy to keep him moving.

Minato wrenched his wrist out of his father's grasp. There was a squelching pop before the boy's wrist came loose, stumbling back a few paces. He hissed in pain cradling his wrist. Naruto's anger died in that moment and was replaced with concern and guilt. Tears welled up behind Minato's eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "It's not Mama's fault." The boy hissed and growled through the pain.

Naruto knelt in front of the boy. "She would have told me."

Minato shook his head. "She can't tell you something if she doesn't know about it."

"She has to know."

"NO she doesn't!" Minato yelled in exasperation. The boy took a few breaths to calm down and block the pain. Naruto was stunned into a moment of silence. The boy closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Minato opened his eyes. "Look, I know about what Mama promised you. She told you she would tell you about stuff she KNEW about. Mama doesn't know about this. Gramps asked Mama if he could train me. Mama agreed to it on the condition he train you too. But she never asked HOW we were gonna train or WHEN we would be training. And no one told her either. We have a strict 'don't ask, don't tell' policy." The boy gritted his teeth, taking another breath. Minato popped his wrist back into place and gave a small sigh of relief.

Naruto blinked. "Your wrist just healed."

Minato flexed his wrist a bit with another pop. "Yeah, so?"

"You heal faster than I do." Naruto said in astonishment. "And the transformation didn't dispel."

The boy shrugged. "More stuff about my pants that I don't understand. Gramps doesn't talk about it to me. He said he would tell me when I was old enough to understand where I came from."

Naruto stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "And where exactly is Fluffles?"

Minato stifled a laugh. "Don't let him hear you call him that. He tolerates it from Mama."

The elder blonde waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I know… 'I should be feared' and all that crap. Come on, we should get home." He started walking.

Minato stared at his father for a moment and the jogged to catch up. "I thought you were gonna show me some stuff?"

"It's late and your Oka-san might be worried with all of us out of the house." Naruto kept walking.

Minato stopped and closed his eyes. He concentrated for a few silent moments. Naruto paused and turned to look at his son. Minato looked like him in so many ways. But the scrunched up face of concentration was all Myra. Naruto shook his head. "You can feel people too, like your Oka-san."

One violet eye opened. "I don't have it as bad as she does. But I can sense the people close to me, and I can feel her." He closed his eye again. "Mostly her." He added as an afterthought. He opened his eyes and smiled brightly. "Mama's still sleeping, probably working on the new trick of hers in the Ethereal."

"So you don't have to worry about blocking people out and the weird freaky stuff?" Naruto waited for Minato this time.

Minato jogged forward to stand next to his father. "Nope, and I'm glad. Not that I mind the weird stuff. 'Cause I think some of the stuff she can do is pretty cool. Like the new thing she's trying to do, THAT'S COOL!"

Naruto knitted his fingers behind his head as they walked. "So what do you know about it?"

The boy shrugged. "It's more stuff that I've heard about, but don't really understand. I heard Papa Bear and Mama arguing about it the other day. It's amazing what adults will say when they don't think I can understand it."

"What did Oyaji have to say?"

"He thinks Mama is being reckless and not thinking it through. I know he was mad at her and a little scared." The boy tapped his chin. "Or was he worried? I can't read people like Mama can yet. Lots of emotions feel the same."

Naruto nodded in agreement.

The boy continued. "The whole argument was kind of confusing because I didn't understand what they were talking about. Papa Bear was pretty angry that Mama wanted to rip holes fabric and make pot holders. Or was it pot holes?" Minato murmured. "I don't remember much after that 'cause I was too busy playing with Moegi."

They walked in silence for a moment contemplating life in general.

"Dad?" Minato looked up at his father.

Naruto blinked as he felt an enormous sense of pride and accomplishment. He couldn't help but feel that way. He had achieved something greater than his own father. The elder blonde smirked. "Hmm?"

"What's a pot holder?"

Naruto chuckled. "I don't think it has anything to do with the kind of jutsu your Oka-san has in mind, unless she's going to use her famous 'Pie Making' Jutsu."

"Oh." Minato sighed and looked back to his feet as they walked. Finally, Minato couldn't take it anymore and had to ask the question that had been on his mind for days. He had asked the Kyuubi, and the Kyuubi had told him he was too young to worry about such things. When Minato had asked Edgar, the damn bird had confused him with statistics and the odds. Poe seemed to be the only one that gave him an answer he could live with, but Minato didn't like it one bit. The boy frowned and looked up at his father, hope shinning in violet eyes. "She's gonna come back right?"

Naruto stopped and his body stiffened. His chakra flared slightly before it seemed to swirl and go back to normal. **"She'll come home Kit."**

Minato's eyes widened. The Kyuubi had told Minato about the merging. It had been happening since the Kyuubi was sealed within his father and had progressed a little faster since Myra had stepped into the picture. Part of the reason Minato was so special was because of the merging. But the boy hadn't really seen his father manifest his demon traits. Minato had to think. If he was a half demon, what was his father? "You okay Dad?"

Naruto shook his head and the red of his vision cleared. He smiled falsely at his son. "I'll be fine."

Minato didn't look convinced. "I don't know. I see what Gramps says about you hiding your feelings."

Naruto rolled his eyes and knelt down. "Here, hop on. We'll get home faster this way."

A wide smile broke across the boy's face and his father's resounding trepidation about the impending mission was forgotten. "Really?"

This time, Naruto's grin was genuine. "Really." Minato threw his arms around his father's neck from behind. The elder Uzumaki stood up and adjusted the small weight on his back before taking off towards home.

[End Flash Back]

Sasuke ended the kiss, placing his forehead on hers. "I'll be there in a minute to say goodbye."

A single tear slid down Sakura's cheek. "I'll be waiting."

He cupped her cheek with his hand and gently brushed the tear away with his thumb. Sakura smiled sadly as she turned to head into the kitchen. Sasuke waited until Sakura was out of earshot as well as eye sight. "Your father is an idiot." He said with a sigh.

Minato tilted his head to one side and thought about it for a moment. Yes, he did think he father was being an idiot, but Minato could understand his father's sadness. But that wasn't what Minato was worried about at the moment. There were a few things that needed to get done and in order for Minato to get out of the house, he was going to have to tell his Uncle everything. Minato narrowed his eyes at Sasuke.

Sasuke shifted his eyes to the boy before he turned to face him. He didn't exactly know how to explain the situation to the toddler, but like any child, Sasuke was sure that the boy knew something was going on. "I am sorry I did not get to know your mother as well as maybe I should have. She was my cousin, but she was more of a sibling to me than my own brother. She made me see things in myself that I wanted to deny. She forced me back to a place I wanted to forget because I didn't want to face the possibility of losing it again. Myra made me realize that I was so consumed with revenge and death, that I lost sight of how to live. I owe her a great debt and I do not wish to repay that debt by raising her son for her when your father is perfectly capable of doing it himself. He's being an idiot at the moment, but I actually understand him. Naruto is going through the same pain I went through when my parents were murdered and the same pain your mother felt when she watched her brother being slaughtered. If he lets this grief consume him he will become the demon sealed within him."

Minato looked away from his Uncle. It was true, his father was becoming like the Kyuubi was long ago. Consumed by despair, grief, and a sense of betrayal, Naruto was going to self destruct until there was nothing left of his human heart. Even now, Minato could feel the negative emotions and darkness surrounding his father and it scared him. Minato hadn't been able to get away from his new guardian for the last few days. He and Saiyuki had been taken everywhere with Sakura. The worst thing about being around his Aunt was that she was infinitely more perceptive than Moegi. Trying to sneak out in the middle of the night to search for the Kyuubi was impossible. Minato had not been able to search for the missing Kyuubi and have him help put a stop to Naruto's rampage. In truth, the boy didn't think his Uncle could pull his father out of the grief stricken state he was in.

Naruto's baser instincts had taken over. He was more animal now than he was human and he just wanted to be left alone. Minato hoped that once it was out of his father's system he would snap out of it. But then Minato had been at the hospital when Lee was brought in. Lee had apparently gone to console Naruto, but it turned into something much more devastating. Minato was there when Neji recounted the story of Lee trying to approach Naruto. At first, first his father had warned Lee to stay back and just leave him be. But Lee had insisted on helping the blonde grieve by telling Naruto that he too, loved and felt the loss of Myra.

That had been the wrong thing for Lee to say at the wrong time. Naruto had completely lost it and attacked Lee. Neji had told Sakura and Tsunade when he had brought the broken body of Lee to the hospital that it took Hinata throwing herself in front of Lee to get Naruto to stop his onslaught. Naruto paused in mid strike, inches from Hinata's face. An expression of recognition and sadness flitted across Naruto's face before he growled and ran deeper into the woods. After that, Tsunade had sent word to Sasuke and ordered that ANBU form a perimeter around Naruto to keep people away. That was three days ago.

Now his Uncle was here, and Minato didn't think it was going to help. It was going to take Sasuke, the Kyuubi and himself to bring his father out of this blind rage. It was going to take the Kyuubi to take the beating, Sasuke to do the beating and Minato to do the talking, or something in that order. In reality, Naruto needed Myra. Minato had to trust his Uncle. He had to trust his Uncle Sasuke with the secret in order to find the Kyuubi and save his father from himself.

Minato made a decision in those long moments. There was loud pop and a billow of white smoke. The smoke hadn't cleared yet when teen boy hopped out of the crib and onto the floor. "I need your help Uncle Sasuke and you're going to need mine."

0 – 0 – 0

He was numb, numb to the pain, numb to the chill in the air, numb to everything around him. It didn't mean anything anymore. There was nothing left for him. He wanted to just make everything and everyone go away. Even the trees were an affront to his very presence. What was life if she wasn't there to share it with? What was love if she wasn't there to love him in return? What was anything if she wasn't there to share it with him? He wanted to tear the world to ribbons for denying him what he wanted. Life had been too perfect. It had been too wonderful to be real. For once in his life, Naruto had everything he ever wanted, needed and cared for in the palms of his hands, and it was all taken away from him in the blink of an eye.

He honestly didn't know what time it was, or what day it was. He didn't care either. It was dark and the moon was almost full high above him. How long had he been out in the woods taking his aggression out on the trees? He didn't want to bother with the insignificant things, like time. What was time when you had forever? It was one of those perks he got with taking on the mantle of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. What good did obtaining a power to change the landscape with a swish of the tail, if he couldn't save her? What good was having the human heart still beating in his chest if it was broken? So he had denied it. Naruto had buried those emotions so deeply they couldn't hurt him anymore.

He had taken his son, his only tie to humanity left to him, to Sakura. She would take care of his Kit now. The other Kyuubi would take care of Minato as well, that is when the old geezer decided to wake up. But what did it matter now? He was alone and Naruto found that he didn't really care. She was gone. Myra was gone and living was something he didn't want to do anymore. The people he had cared for all his life didn't matter. It wasn't like they paid him any attention anyway. They didn't care about him, unless he was saving their sorry asses. Naruto felt a twinge of guilt as he thought that way. He was usually saving the village from people that wanted him for being the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. Well now they wouldn't have to worry about it. He wasn't a Jinchuriki anymore. He was a fucking demon. He had become the demon to save her. And he had failed.

Naruto gazed up at the rabbit shadow on the moon high above him. Was that Myra high above him, making pie? Maybe if he jumped high enough he could make it to the moon, just to be with her again. He shook his head and buried those stray thoughts. He wasn't going to think about her. The more he thought about her, the more he felt the emotions he didn't want to feel. It was easier to let the baser animal take over and just exist in the world as the demon he now was.

Clawed hands came together and the seal was formed. Naruto felt his body shift and expand. That was the last anyone was going to see of the human they had once known. He would stay near the village for the sake of his son. That much he would grant them. But no more would he be Naruto. He was a demon fox now. He was the Demon Kitsune. He would protect the village and his kit. But that didn't mean he had to be nice to those that came near him. He wanted to be left alone. He wanted to be left to wallow in his self loathing for the rest of his eternity.

0 – 0 – 0

Out of the smoke and devastation of the landscape left in the wake of Naruto's rampage and transformation, rose a gigantic black and gold fox, nine tails swishing violently behind him. It roared a warning that the ANBU stationed around the area felt more than heard. They trembled and had to steady themselves as the waves of malicious intent permeated the area. Yamato looked to one of his subordinates. "Report to Lady Tsunade. No one is to come near this area. I don't think even Sasuke can talk him down now."

The masked ANBU nodded and was gone in a blur. Yamato gazed back to the area where the giant fox that was more black than gold, started to dig out large chunks of rock from the side of the mountain. The ANBU captain suspected that Naruto wasn't going far, but wasn't coming back either. He shook his head. _"What are you thinking Naruto? Are you even still in there?"_

0 – 0 – 0

It was bright, too bright as far as the Kyuubi was concerned. He didn't feel like moving, at least not yet. But he could tell he was being hoisted into the air by his tail. Sleepily the small fox, that felt older than he was, opened an eye. It took the fox a moment before he could focus on the boy holding him up by the tail. Minato was shouting something, but the Kyuubi's hearing hadn't quite come into focus. _Didn't I tell the brat I would be out of it for a few weeks?_ The Kyuubi thought.

"You have to wake up Gramps! Dad has gone crazy and we don't know what to do. Mama is gone and Dad is all dark and scary. I don't know what to do, please wake up!" Minato gave the fox a good shake.

The Kyuubi, now small and feeling truly insignificant since the power transfer to Naruto, was wide awake from the pain at the base of his tail. Red feral eyes opened comically and focused on the boy shaking him awake. _**"Put me down Brat, before you rip my tail off!"**_

Startled by the fox's sharp tone, Minato dropped the Kyuubi to the ground. Sasuke, standing to the side watching in fascination and deep concern because the Kyuubi was out of his seal, had to fight back a smirk at the antics of his nephew. The small fox landed on the ground with a flop and stayed there for a moment. Minato squatted down and poked at the fox. "We don't have all day Gramps. Dad needs us."

The Kyuubi glared up at the boy. It was just too early for this crap. He wasn't at full strength yet, he wasn't what he used to be, and be damned if he was going to seem weak in front of an Uchiha. _Wait, what was HE doing here?_ The Kyuubi's eyes shot open and he quickly stood, whirling around and growled fiercely at Sasuke. He didn't know what the hell was going on, so he would rather be safe than sorry.

Sasuke backed up a step, but didn't completely back down from the fox standing protectively between himself and Minato. Sasuke had felt the full power of the Kyuubi before, and this small fox was still the Kyuubi, but there was something different. Power still coursed through the small fox, however they were weaker somehow. There was no doubt in Sasuke's mind that this small creature could be very deadly if provoked. The best course of action would be to wait and see what the fox did.

Sasuke allowed a moment or two for the Fox to become aware of what had transpired. Sasuke used the time to understand the four month old boy rolling his eyes behind the growling fox. Minato had explained things as best he could on the way to the house. Minato had been training in the Ethereal for as long as he could remember. To Myra's surprise, Minato retained the memories and experience of his training in the Ethereal after birth. This gave Sasuke pause to wonder what was supposed to happen. The boy had explained that away too. What was supposed to happen was that Minato was not supposed to remember.

"_The spirit can speak for now. The moment he is born, he will be nothing more than a babe in arms."_ Sasuke remembered what Edgar had said to him long ago. From then on, Minato said he didn't know why he had remembered. The Uchiha had to hide a smirk when the boy had recounted that the reason he remembered something he was supposed to forget all had to do with his bloody pants. Sasuke didn't really understand it either.

Sasuke's focus returned to the growling fox. Minato had trusted Sasuke with the true identity of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. In some way, The Uchiha felt honored and a bit humbled by the idea. It was the least he could do for his Nephew, considering there was a distinct possibility that Minato would be a permanent fixture in his house. And he suspected that with the boy came the useless fox growling in front of him. Minato hadn't really explained what had happened between the Kyuubi and Naruto, but it was enough for Sasuke to fill in the blanks. The Kyuubi had willingly transferred his powers to Naruto and Naruto had released the Kyuubi from the seal. Now for all intense and purposes, Naruto was the Kyuubi and the small fox beginning to comprehend the gravity of the situation was nothing more than a overly intelligent fox, but none the less dangerous. Under the circumstances, Sasuke wasn't going to take his chances to find out what the damn thing could or could not do.

The Kyuubi's senses started to come into focus. There was something wrong. There was something very wrong, and worse, there was something missing. The fox turned around and stared at Minato. _**"Where is your mother?"**_

The boy looked away from the fox. He couldn't say it because he didn't want to believe it. The hole in his heart was there, but he still didn't want to believe for a moment that his mother was dead. Sasuke stepped forward and answered for Minato. "Myra is dead."

The Kyuubi's eyes widened in shock and he flopped on his haunches. This couldn't be. Naruto had worked so hard for this. She was supposed to come back. She was supposed to live because the Kyuubi had given his powers to Naruto for the sole purpose of saving the girl and getting what the Kyuubi hadn't gotten. Naruto was supposed to get the girl in the end, not have his heart ripped from his chest at the very last minute. Feral eyes closed tightly and the Kyuubi reached out with his vast senses to try and locate both Naruto and Myra. His eyes opened again in shock. _**"Naruto has… He has fallen to the Darkness. And Myra… I cannot find her at all."**_

"Didn't you hear what I said Fox? Myra is dead."

The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed. _**"I heard you Uchiha, but there are several levels of 'dead'. Is there a body? Has there been confirmation that she is dead, or is it merely a confirmation that her spirit is no longer a part of the physical plane?"**_

Minato looked at his Uncle.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you talking about Fox?"

The fox dusted himself off and let the Uchiha brat stew for a few moments. A small finger poked at the Kyuubi and the fox turned to look at the pleading and expectant eyes of Minato. The fox let out a sigh. There was a pop and cloud of smoke. The human form Kyuubi stood tall in front of an unmoving and unimpressed Sasuke. _**"If you MUST address me… My name is Kitsuya. I am not the Kyuubi anymore. Naruto is. But that is completely beside the point. I asked a simple question. Did anyone see Myra's body? Do we know for sure she is dead?"**_

"I don't know Gramps. About a week ago, right before the earthquakes and lots of rain, I could feel Mama like always. And then I couldn't. It was like a big chunk of me was torn out. I couldn't breathe for a little while and then it was ok, but I still felt like there was something missing. Dad came home and was all sad and stuff. He hugged me really tight like it was the end of everything. He was so sad. He said that he failed me and Mama and then took me over to Aunt Sakura." Minato explained.

"Hn." The last thing Sasuke wanted to talk about was his emotions. He had done so much to suppress them, but they were trying to figure out what was going on. "Since I met Myra, there had been this pressure at the back of my mind. It was like an annoying buzzing that I got used to after a while. Like Minato said, I knew it was there, and then it wasn't. I felt something missing that couldn't be replaced."

Kitsuya put a hand to his chin in contemplation. _**"Then I can only speculate as to what Naruto felt. To lose his mate so soon after,"**_ Kitsuya paused and looked at Sasuke,_** "well, I don't want to remember what that feels like, but I know it is enough to drive you insane."**_

"What do we do?" Minato stood next to the former Kyuubi no Kitsune, looking up at the tall man with eyes shining with hope.

"_**In all honesty, the only thing that can bring your father out of it fully is to find your mother or turn him loose on Madara. But letting his frustration out on the root cause of all this despair will only allow him to revert deeper into the Darkness."**_

"You seem to know a lot about what is going on, Demon." Sasuke spat. He needed an outlet for the grief he was feeling and the Kyuubi just happened to be in the right place. "I'm sure you planned this all so perfectly that you couldn't wait for there to be an opportunity to tempt Naruto with the power to save the most precious person in his life. He managed to stop you at every turn. He managed to deny the temptation, but the moment that he had something that he couldn't live without and he couldn't save her with his own power he turned to the one being on the planet that COULD give him the power to do so. I don't know who to kill first. You for being the demon you are, or Naruto for being the weakling he is."

"_**You know nothing Uchiha."**_ The demon growled.

"Oh don't I? I'm an UCHIHA remember? My whole clan was murdered so a deranged man could produce the perfect pawn in his little game of world domination. He fed me lies so I would think my actions would be justified. He whispered notions that if I just killed all those that hurt me I would feel vindicated. Well you know what? It didn't do a damn thing. It didn't bring my parents back. It didn't bring my brother back. It didn't do anything but cause more pain and suffering. You are supposed to feed off that pain and suffering. This would be just like a demon to want something to feed off of. So give me one good reason why I shouldn't gut you here and now?"

Kitsuya stepped up to Sasuke and looked down at him growling menacingly. _**"As you said Uchiha, I am still a demon. I detest you and with Myra dead at the moment, I have no reservations about eviscerating you just to watch the blood splatter across the garden. What transpired betwixt Naruto and I, is none of your business. But I assure you, it had nothing to do with the myth that I feed off of malice and despair."**_

The ex Kyuubi had to hide the small smirk that played on his lips. He couldn't help but think back to the moment he told Naruto his plan.

[Flash Back]

"_**The simple answer is that Kit is a half demon."**_ The Kyuubi sat calmly at the kitchen table sipping a mug of tea.

Naruto stared at the Kyuubi for several seconds before he walked to the cupboard and pulled a bottle of Sake from the highest reaches of the cupboard. He didn't get a glass. He merely uncorked the bottle and took a large gulp. The blonde winced and nearly chocked at the burn in his throat. It was awful stuff. He sat down at the kitchen table. He didn't bother to put the cork back in the bottle. He took another long gulp.

Father and son had returned to the house to find Kyuubi waiting in the kitchen. The demon was greeted enthusiastically by the boy. Naruto didn't say anything. He just stabbed the Kyuubi to death with a glare. It was a clear message that someone was going to explain what the hell was going on. Naruto watched as the twelve year old boy poofed into a four month old infant. Eyes still a vivid purple, hair a lighter color of orange, and now that Naruto really looked, faint whisker marks on his cheeks. The infant in his arms yawned and was out cold in a matter of minutes. It was strange putting Minato in the crib. Questions needed to be answered, and now that Naruto had finally gotten one answer, he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know anymore.

"So am I his father?" He steeled himself for the answer he didn't want, but needed anyway.

"_**Yes."**_

Naruto's eyes snapped to the Kyuubi, though he was secretly relieved. "But…"

The Kyuubi held up his hand. _**"It seems that where you have no outward appearances, besides the whisker marks and certain personality quirks, you carry the blood of a full demon fox."**_

Naruto took another gulp of sake.

"_**There is more."**_

Naruto groaned and his forehead hit the table with a small thud.

The Kyuubi gazed over Naruto. _**"Don't be so over dramatic."**_

"Don't be overdramatic?" Naruto mumbled before he lifted his head. "Don't be over dramatic?" He said this time a little more sarcastically. "I've spent most of my life trying to prove to the world around me that I wasn't a demon, that I wasn't YOU… And now you come along and tell me that my son is a half demon and that I'm pretty much a demon myself. How exactly am I supposed to react?" He took another swig of the sake.

Kyuubi snatched the bottle of sake away from Naruto and poured a little into his mug of tea. _**"Be grateful I have decided I won't kill you, your mate, or your son. Be grateful I have decided I want to retire and live out the rest of my days as a Grandfather."**_ He downed the tea and sake mixture.

Naruto blinked. "What?"

Kyuubi sighed deeply. _**"The 'Key' to the Yondiame's seal, currently held by the Toads, was designed for you to completely rid you of my spirit within your subconscious and harness my power for your own nefarious purposes. Had we remained at odds with each other, I would have forced you to use the key. There would have been a battle you may not have survived."**_

"I thought you said if it came down to it…"

"_**Do pay attention. I said a battle of wills. This would have been a different kind of battle. The battle field would have been in your mind, but it would have been a battle of strength and ability. You have grown Naruto, but you are still no match for me if I was allowed all my power for that battle."**_

There was a pause between them.

"So now what?" Naruto shrugged.

Kyuubi refilled his cup with sake. _**"I am going to use a loophole your father did not think of."**_ He tipped the mug to his lips and drained the contents. _**"I am going to accept you as kin, declare you as my heir, and relinquish my powers to you willingly. After the power transfer, you will be able to release the seal keeping me contained, and I will be free do as I please."**_

Naruto grabbed the bottle back from the Kyuubi and took two long gulps wincing as the liquid went down. "Are you INSANE?" he choked out, despite the burning of his throat.

"_**I thought it was genius, but since there is a fine line between genius and insanity, I can see where you would think that."**_ The Kyuubi smirked.

"This is completely crazy. I can't let you out to 'do as you please'. That would… well there would be a lot of people that wouldn't like it." Naruto's head was getting fuzzy and he couldn't really think straight.

"_**Naruto, you would be the one with the power. I would still retain some of the power. I'm not going to give it ALL to you, I'm not that insane. Besides, there are elements to the job you aren't exactly ready for. But for everyone on this side of the Veil, it would seem as if you had done what the Yondiame had intended all along.**_"

"And how exactly do I explain you, huh? How do I explain some weird guy hanging around my house and my… my… What did you call Myra again?" His words were beginning to slur and the Kyuubi was realizing that Naruto wouldn't remember much of what was said.

The Kyuubi stood and took the bottle of sake away from Naruto. _**"Don't think about it now Naruto. I think you should go to bed and worry about it later."**_

Naruto looked up at the two Kyuubi's in front of him and smiled broadly. "Bed… That sounds like a great idea."

[End Flash Back]

Kitsuya came out of his memory to the slight twitch of Sasuke's hand. Sasuke was slowly reaching for his sword and the distinct smell of ozone was beginning to fill the air. The demon's fingers twitched and his claws grew an inch or more in anticipation of rendering flesh from bone. The tension between the demon and the Uchiha was so thick it could be felt miles away. Minato's fists clenched at his sides and his eyes closed to stop the tears leaking at the sides. His mother was gone. His father was going crazy and they were acting like idiots. "WOULD YOU TWO STOP? We don't have time for this shit! Dad is going crazy! Mama is missing if she isn't dead and all you two want to do is figure out who has the bigger pair of balls!"

The outburst from the boy did exactly what was intended because Kitsuya and Sasuke broke the glare aimed at each other to stare at the fuming boy. Both the Uchiha and the demon had to hide the grin and suppress the chuckle, mostly because they were both thinking the exact same thing. Myra would be pissed four ways from hell if she heard Minato cursing like that. She would reprimand the boy and then turn her ire at the closest male in her path.

Kitsuya sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. _**"The Brat's right, as much as I hate to admit it."**_ He opened his eyes and glared at Sasuke. _**"Yes, I would take great delight in tearing you limb from limb just to relieve the want for blood, but it would be uncalled for. You are not the one I want to sink my claws into for causing the pain we are all feeling. This is Madara's doing and we should remember that."**_

"Hn." Sasuke grunted in agreement and took his hand off his sword.

"_**Leave it to you to put everything into perspective."**_ Kitsuya grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Minato nodded. "Now can we go help Dad?"

"_**Hold your horses Kit. There is still a question that hasn't been answered."**_ Kitsuya looked to Sasuke. _**"Has Myra's body been found?"**_

Sasuke blinked. "Not that I know of."

"_**Then there is still hope. If we can get to Naruto before he completely reverts to his animal instincts, we may be able to talk him down. If not, the only person he will hear is Minato."**_ Kitsuya explained as he started to walk into the house.

"Why would he listen to Minato? He's just a kid." Sasuke turned to follow.

"Hey! I'm not just a kid!" Minato hurried behind the two adults.

"_**Because regardless of what frame of mind Naruto is in, he WILL recognize Minato. He wouldn't harm his own kit, or at least I hope he wouldn't. He may recognize me, but I can't guarantee it. I can only hope that he stills sees me as the pack elder and he will respect that, which only means he will give me a warning before he attacks. I don't know how he will react to you, Uchiha. It is very possible that Naruto might perceive you as a threat and attack without warning."**_ He stopped at the kitchen hoping for something to eat before they went to their potential death.

"Pack elder? What does that have to do with anything?" Sasuke complained. "You make it sound like he's a wild animal or something."

Minato was turning his head to pay attention to each adult in turn. Once again, he was glad that adults seemed to forget he was there.

"_**Demons are nothing more than animals that were imbued with the essence that created the universe before time had measure. However, regardless of the power, knowledge, or wisdom a demon may acquire, a demon is still an animal at the core. Humans are nothing more than animals that can think and act beyond instinct."**_

"Hn." Sasuke didn't look convinced. There had to be something human left in Naruto.

Kitsuya rolled his eyes and explained further. _**"Naruto has cast off his human guise and reverted to his animal core. The animal form he chose was the form of a fox, because that is what he is at the core. I can't say that I am surprised, because I'm not. I'm just thankful it wasn't a toad. I can only suspect toad instincts would be a bit more difficult to deal with."**_

"Why do you say that?" Minato looked perplexed.

Kitsuya paused briefly, putting his hand on the kitchen door and smirked wickedly at the boy before entering the kitchen. _**"Because toads are notorious for eating their young."**_

Minato eyes widened in horror and he gulped audibly. "Dad wouldn't eat me, would he?"

The demon smirked sinfully and continued into the kitchen. Sasuke chose to rub the underside of his nose to suppress the chuckle and followed Kitsuya. If nothing else, Sasuke had solved the mystery on where Naruto had gained his wicked sense of humor.

"Gramps? Uncle Sasuke? Dad wouldn't really try and eat me would he?" Minato stood there in the dining room for another split second before he realized that his father, though out of his gourd at the moment, still wouldn't eat him. It was a dirty rotten joke, and Minato didn't like it one bit. "HEY! That isn't funny."

Minato burst through the kitchen door and would have kept running into the kitchen had he not been stopped by the arm barring his progress. Sasuke and Kitsuya stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of the kitchen. The boy instantly burst into silent tears and turned away from the kitchen burying his face into the arm that curled around him protectively. Kitsuya felt the boy's pain and sadness as easily as Sasuke could.

Sasuke was perplexed by the teen boy's emotional display. Of course Sasuke had to remember that regardless of his apparent intelligence and appearance, Minato was still only four months old. Kitsuya tightened his arm around Minato and then knelt down to be eye level with him. _**"We'll fix this."**_

If Sasuke hadn't been there to see it, he wouldn't have been able to believe the great and powerful Kyuubi no Kitsune, King of Demons, would be capable of such an act of compassion. Then it dawned on the Uchiha that it was possible that the great beast, feared by all, had been changed for the better. The same way anyone had been changed for the better just by knowing the stupid blonde. Sasuke shook his head and sighed. Looking around the kitchen he wondered if they would even be able to bring the stupid blonde back.

It wasn't the kitchen any of them remembered. The cabinets were torn from the hinges. The refrigerator was on its side on the other side of the kitchen. The stove didn't have front glass anymore. Knives were embedded in the walls. There were shards of ceramic and glass littering the floor. The solid oak table had been splintered and now a few of the legs sat in the shattered remains of the sink. The only thing left in the kitchen was the pristine white vase that held a single lavender orchid.

Sasuke tentatively stepped forward and picked up the vase, orchid and all. "I'll take this to Sakura." A small hand twisted in his pant leg and stopped him from moving. Sasuke looked down at the boy.

"No. Leave it here. Mama would like it." Minato's voice was distant and full of sadness. Another tear that he didn't want to shed, slipped down Minato's cheek dotting the floor. "It was the last thing he gave her before she left."

0 – 0 – 0

The man in the orange mask was reading over scrolls in his study. The destruction of Sound had been part of his plan all along, but it was far later in the overall scheme of things. Madara had not expected an insignificant lab assistant to Orochimaru to become such a liability, nor had he anticipated Orochimaru devising an elaborate means of taking his experiments with him to the grave. It was a stroke of brilliance, he had to admit that, but it couldn't come at a worse time. Luckily, the troops that were battle ready had been moved out of Sound and were camping on one of the northern islands, hidden from prying eyes. Thankfully, Madara had the intelligence to have the cloning technology moved from Sound to Mist. Too bad Kabuto wouldn't be around to see his creations see their full potential. There was a knock at the study door. "Enter."

"Lord Mizukage," the messenger entered. "We have received a report from First Squadron." He held out a scroll.

Madara took the scroll, dismissing the messenger. He read over the scroll with great interest.

_My lord,_

_We are in position to extract the boy and eliminate the jinchuriki. The operation will begin in twenty four hours._

_Nakamiko_

_Commander First Squadron_

"Good." Madara crumpled the scroll in his hand. "At least I know something is going as planned."

0 – 0 – 0

In the chaos of the earthquakes, they had entered the village. The mass panic had given them the opportunity to walk into the village with a small group of refugees from one of the outer farm villages. The three shinobi, baring no crest, no insignia or mark, besides the concealed tattoos on their shoulder indicating their number in the ranks, hid within the shadows and broken buildings until they thought the time was right. Nakamiko had released the pigeon that would take her message to her Lord and Master. She watched as her brothers bedded down in the abandoned part of the village that had been set aside for the refugees coming in from around the area. She would take first watch on the street outside.

Tomorrow, they would put their plan into action. Trace was to infiltrate the ANBU headquarters and kill the traitors. Deuce would take the boy, while she created the distraction that would keep everyone busy. The devastation caused by the erupting volcano would serve as a large amount of that distraction, but when a woman thought to be dead is found walking among the refugees, it should be something that all will come to see.

The roar of the great beast in the forest outside of the village caused Nakamiko's skin to prickle. He was apparently still in a state of misery. _Good, _she thought. It would make him more foolish than he already was. If she could understand what true anguish and heartbreak was, she might have been able to empathize with the creature howling his lament to all that would listen. But she didn't know what it was to feel. She didn't know what it was to be heartbroken. Nakamiko placed a hand over her heart. It was an organ that pumped her life's blood through her body and nothing more. She wasn't built to love. She wasn't built to feel. She was built to destroy all those that opposed her Master. Then why was she so confused? And why did she feel empty?

_Master,_ just the thought left her mouth tasting bitter. Madara's word was law. Madara's will was to be done without question. He had created her. He had given her life. Her life was his and his alone to take. Then why in these moments when Nakamiko could truly say her thoughts were hers, did she believe that Madara was wrong?

"You are thinking, dear sister. What vexes you so?" Trace stood an ample distance behind Nakamiko, just in case she turned on him.

Nakamiko never changed her blank expression and she kept vigil out the broken window. "I am thinking of how I should approach the jinchuriki."

"I think you should walk right up to him and hug him. That's what SHE would do… At least I think that's what SHE would do." Deuce added his thoughts from behind Trace. Deuce wasn't that stupid. If his sister were to turn her temper on them, Trace's evisceration would give him time to run away.

"He is in a state of agitation. From what I was able to find out, ANBU isn't letting anyone near the area." Trace added in the hopes she wouldn't try.

Nakamiko turned to stare at her younger brothers. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes slightly. "SHE would be able to calm him that I am sure of. As to how SHE would act is up for great debate. I have some of her memories, but not all of them. I have the ones I need to play the part convincingly. I will be able spin a tale of how I was captured before HER original arrival to the village. Since SHE was late in arriving at the village, there will be some suspicion. I will then tell the Hokage that I have been in a well guarded prison until the recent eruption where I was able to escape the Master's, I mean Madara's clutches."

Trace raised an eyebrow.

Deuce tilted his head. "Who came up with that lame idea?"

"Do you doubt my ability to portray my original?" Nakamiko's eyes narrowed further.

Deuce stepped back, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Um… No, but don't you think that perhaps that it's a little farfetched? I mean do you really think that they are going to listen to you? What about the boy? Isn't he going to instantly know you aren't his mother?"

Trace smacked his older brother. "Dolt! Didn't you hear the part where she is going to tell them that she was captured BEFORE the original supposedly arrived in the village? Of course the boy is going to know Nakami-chan isn't his mother, because she isn't. Nakami-chan is going to pass herself off as the original. There is just enough reasonable doubt that even if they don't accept it as truth, there will be enough time carry out our orders."

Deuce pouted childishly. "Well, I still don't think they are going to buy it."

Nakamiko rolled her eyes and turned back to the window. "They don't have to believe me for long, just long enough for the two of you to do what you have to do. They will want to present me to the jinchuriki and I will eliminate him from the world as the Master decreed."

Deuce looked at Trace and shrugged before he turned and walked back into the other room. Trace stared at his so called sister. She wasn't his sister. She wasn't anything to him at all. It was only a matter of time before he could end the charade. He had wanted to end it weeks ago when they were in the midst of slaughtering the innocent people of the Unclaimed Territories. But he had seen something that he didn't really think was possible.

The perfect copy of Myra, created to serve Madara, designed to be loyal and subservient to Madara, programmed to obey Madara's every command, and devoid of all emotion had shown that she had a sense of mercy and the capacity to disobey her creator. And he wanted to see if she was capable of more. They had been told to kill all the villagers. They had been told to leave nothing alive. Nakamiko thought she was the only one of them who knew this standing order from their Master. In truth, Trace knew the order as well. He had been hiding in the shadows of the throne room when Madara decreed that all villages in the Unclaimed Territory were to be purged of non believers.

When Nakamiko had not objected or even hinted that she didn't agree with Madara, Trace resolved himself that he would have to kill her when the time was right. He saved as many villagers as he could, sending them with what they could carry to the mountains. When he found her doing the same, he realized she was having second thoughts about her programming. Madara was not a god and he was not the bastion of peace he claimed to be. Deuce was still an idiot holding true to his programming. Trace shook his head. Deuce would be the problem if he should escape, but Trace didn't think the idiot would leave the village alive with the boy in arms, but he would have to deal with that prospect when the moment presented itself.

"Is there a reason you stand there and stare at me Trace?" Nakamiko said never taking her eyes off the street.

Trace sighed. "I was just thinking that perhaps things could be different."

Nakamiko's eyes lowered to the ground for an instant before she seemed to straighten again. "It is the will of the Master than these people be purged, starting with jinchuriki. His death will break these people and they will willingly turn to the Master for guidance."

"Do you really believe that?" Trace whispered.

Nakamiko turned sharply narrowing her eyes at her brother. "It is what I know."

Though her voice had a serious edge to it, Trace could hear the doubt lingering in the statement. "Madara is wrong." He stated plainly. He wanted to test her reaction.

Nakamiko's eyes widened, startled by his words. Before Trace could see her move he had a kunai at his throat. He stilled taking in a breath. "I should kill you for uttering such lies." She hissed.

"If you did not think the same, you would have killed me without hesitation."

The kunai came away from his throat and Nakamiko stepped back, her eyes wide. Why had she hesitated? Why hadn't she just killed him without question? It was her duty to the Master to kill all those who did not follow his edicts. It was her obligation to eliminate all that did not believe in her Master. But Trace was right and Madara was wrong. This was wrong. It was something she knew in her heart all along even though her mind told her otherwise. Could she possibly trust her brother with her doubts? These feelings of doubt and confusion plagued her and she wanted them gone from her. She wanted to know the truth of everything. Since traveling with the refugees, she had seen this so called purging. If so many people thought the war was wrong, how could it be right? She composed herself while returning the kunai to her pack. Nakamiko replaced her blank mask of indifference. "I will do as I think must be done. You are required to execute the traitors. It would be a waste of a valuable resource if I were to kill you now. But should I hear you question my loyalty, or hear you speak lies again, be sure I will not stay my blade at your throat."

"I understand." He backed away from her slowly.

"Good." She turned back to the window. "We will not speak of this again."

Trace walked out of the room rubbing his throat. She did have doubts that much he knew for sure and she was letting him live with that knowledge, but she would not trust him, yet. Trace could not be sure of her plans. Was she really planning on passing herself off as Myra? Or was she planning on giving herself to Konoha? That question would be answered on the morrow, because tomorrow, Trace planned his own insurrection. He planned a reunion with a teammate who thought him dead. Trace would reveal to his true brother that he was alive and well and not a lump of flesh in a hospital bed. Trace would be able to take back his name and call himself Itachi Uchiha again.

0 – 0 – 0

Tsunade stared at Sasuke. "I can't let you go near him. I never thought I would say this about Naruto, but he's dangerous to anyone. I don't think you could get close enough to try."

"I'm not asking your permission. I was apprising you of the plan. If anyone knows what he is feeling right now, I do. If he is going to listen to anyone, he will listen to me." Sasuke stood firm to the plan. He didn't think they would walk away unscathed, but they would walk away alive if all went according to plan.

"You seem sure of yourself, Uchiha, but I cannot let you take a baby near that monster."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he glared at the Hokage. "Of all the people in the world, I never thought I would hear you call Naruto a monster. He is not a monster. He is in extreme pain over a lose he blames himself for. He changed himself AGAIN to save Myra and believes he failed."

"Nothing is going to bring her back." Tsunade muttered sadly.

"Hn," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It would be just like that Crazy Bitch to pop out of nowhere and say it was a hoax."

There was a knock before a very shell shocked Shizune burst into the Hokage's office. "Um, Lady Tsunade?" Shizune was pale, like she had just seen a ghost, and she certainly was thinking that she had.

"What is it Shizune? Can't you see I'm busy with other matters?" Tsunade grumbled.

Shizune opened the door wider to reveal the woman standing behind the door. Tsunade's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. Sasuke, who hadn't bothered to acknowledge the Hokage's skittish assistant, turned to see what had caught Tsunade off guard. Now, even Sasuke couldn't hold in his astonishment. There she was, Myra, standing in the doorway as if nothing had happened. She seemed a little different, but none the worse for wear.

Myra walked forward into the room. She wasn't wearing the full black tactical suit he had seen her in the night she left with her ANBU squad in tow. Myra was dressed in a pair of old ratty pants that had seen better days and a red shirt that was a size or three too small. She was dirty and grimy like she hadn't had a bath in weeks. Sasuke took a step to the side and discretely covered his nose because she smelled like it too. He noted the burn marks on the exposed flesh of her arms and legs. They weren't bad, but then needed attention. The most striking difference in her appearance was her long black hair was now cut extremely short, much like Sakura's. But the one thing that Sasuke took note of was that the annoying buzz in the back of his head that was always there when she was around, wasn't there.

No one said a word for a moment. Tsunade slumped into her chair and sighed. "Where have you been? What happened to you?"

"I have been in a prison for the last year and a half." Myra stated plainly. "I would like a hot shower, my wounds treated and then I would like to go home. When I agreed to come to the godforsaken backwoods, I didn't expect to be thrown into prison and kept half starved, weak as a babe in arms and humiliated."

Tsunade shot a look to Sasuke, before she glanced back to Myra. "What do you mean, prison?"

"It's a place where bad people are kept; however, I do not consider myself a bad person. I was never told of the crimes, nor was I given any indication that I would ever see the light of day. I was ambushed on my way to this cesspool," she spat with venom, "and thrown into a den of miscreants to fight for my survival. I managed… BARELY. A few of the other prisoners and I escaped with little more than our lives during the volcanic eruption. I made my way here in the hopes of getting back to my family."

There was a pregnant pause while Tsunade and Sasuke exchanged glances. Sasuke spun the obvious imposter and glared at her. "Who are you really?"

Nakamiko shrugged out of Sasuke's grasp. She had to maintain her cool. She was looking at Deuce's original and was seriously wishing her cloned brother had gotten some of his original's composure. "I will tell you what I told the guards at the gate, the men at the lower floor of the building and that lady who brought me in here. My name is Myra Windfeather Ravenheart. I was sent by my father and grandfather to train in this place, for what reason I can't understand. I was doing fine in the States all by myself. I got here and was kidnapped. I spent a year and a half in a hell hole doing whatever I could to survive. All I want now is a bath, clean cloths, a means to contact my father and a way home. I thought I could get that much since I didn't even get the luxury of a search party when I didn't arrive."

Tsunade stood from her chair. "If that's what you want Ravenheart-san then I will see to it that you are given what you require. I will contact your father as soon as possible to let him know of your safety."

The girl didn't smile. She kept that blank expression when she answered. "Thank you Lady Hokage. I appreciate it more than you know."

"Shizune!" Tsunade bellowed.

Sasuke fumed. He wanted to kill her where she stood, but they could use her if nothing else. She was a good copy, he had to admit that, but there were a few obvious things Kabuto hadn't gotten right in her creation. "It isn't going to work." Sasuke whispered so only she could hear.

Nakamiko turned her nose up at him. She had to pretend she didn't know him. Besides, she didn't need them figuring it out just yet. "What isn't going to work?"

"Sasuke! Do not antagonize the poor girl. Can't you see she's hurt and needs medical attention?" Shizune, still looking pale opened the door. "Shizune take Ravenheart-san to the hospital and get her cleaned up. I want her back in my office after she's feeling a little better."

"Y-Yes ma'am." Shizune gestured for Myra to follow her. "Please come this way."

Nakamiko took in a deep breath and followed Shizune out the door. Tsunade waited until the door was closed. "Well? What do you think?"

"She's not Myra." Sasuke answered the Hokage's question with absolution.

"Actually, her story is subject to some scrutiny, but…" the Hokage turned to look out the large pane of windows in her office. "…it would explain several questions I've had since Myra's arrival."

"Hn. There are several questions about Myra that I have and probably will always have, but that THING is not Myra." Sasuke pointed angrily at the door. "Or at least she isn't the Myra that I know. She isn't the woman I accept as my family. And she sure as hell isn't the woman Naruto is pining for."

Tsunade nodded. "I agree with you Sasuke. We will be cautious with her for the time being." The Hokage sighed. "I know that Naruto is grieving, but we need him. As much as I dislike the idea of you taking Minato near him at the moment, I will send word to Captain Yamato that you have permission to enter the area, the sooner the better."

Sasuke nodded and left the Hokage's office. Tsunade sighed again. She was at a loss. Nothing was making sense anymore. Tsunade gazed out the window. There were dark clouds headed for the village. It was going to rain again. "What happened to that miracle?" she whispered to the air around her.

0 - 0 - 0

Uh oh... What's gonna happen now? Good question... Stay tuned to find out.


	87. Return to Me

A/N: Okay already, I get the point… I suck at this whole updating thing. But everyone should be happy with the fact that the chapters are getting longer because of it. Once the beast is done with, I will be going over it with a fine tooth comb, fixing some of the spelling errors, combine a chapter or three, and make the story a little less intimidating when it comes to reading it. But that's just me. Meanwhile, I will get out of the way and let everyone read.

Warning: Oooo… A new one this time around besides the standard I don't own it… From here on out, I will be touching on some themes that could possibly be offensive to some people. It is not my intention to be offensive, or anything of the like. This story is purely for entertainment, and that's it. If anyone has any questions, or needs clarification on any of the themes presented, I will be happy to answer the questions.

And now, without further ado….

**Chapter 87: Return to Me**

Deuce had studied his 'Original". He could recall any moment from the training videos that he watched like a bad movie, over and over again. The videos were a part of Deuce's education. He could walk like Sasuke with a feline predator's grace. He could be silent and brood like Sasuke. He could be arrogant and commanding like Sasuke with an icy chill that rivaled the deepest winter.

"_You can't smile like that Brother. He never smiles anymore."_ Deuce heard Trace's words echo in his head. He could mimic every move Sasuke made down to the emotionless, aloof expression on his face; however, he had never mastered "the Glare".

The Glare was something indicative to the true Uchiha, as the Master had explained it. As it was, Deuce knew he wasn't a true Uchiha. He was nothing more than a copy; a creature put together in a test tube and brought to life by the will of the Master. Of course none of them were. Not even his perfect sister, the favorite of the Master, had the one ability that differentiated a true Uchiha from the rest of the clones. They were all made with the lack of the Sharingan. But there was a way for him to take his place alongside his Master and be called a true Uchiha. If the mission were successful, Deuces reward would be Sasuke's eyes.

Deuce stood and stared at the opulent house of his Original. He couldn't help but think that this was where Sasuke lived with the woman. She was supposedly very pretty. The clone really didn't understand the need or want for possessions; he had been given everything he needed. But looking at the house and what he COULD have emboldened thoughts and feelings Deuce had never considered.

_This could be… No… SHOULD be mine!_ He thought bitterly. _If I bring back the boy, I get my Original's eyes. Why shouldn't I ask to have his life too? It's not like he's going to need it if he's dead._

He stepped up to the door and opened it slowly. Rich dark wood framed the entry room. Pictures of friends and family hung on the walls further reminding Deuce of what could be his. Deuce was no stranger to the green monster of jealousy. He felt that way anytime the Master dotted on Nakamiko, the perfect copy of HER. He had yet to figure out what was so special about HER to begin with. Deuce found a group picture of the famous Konoha twelve. SHE was in the picture too, standing next to the Jinchuriki, his arm around her waist holding her closely. Sasuke was there too, looking bored by the whole thing.

Deuce removed the picture from the wall and studied it carefully. The first thing he noticed was that Nakamiko shouldn't have cut her hair. The second thing was an interesting discovery. Sasuke was looking at the camera, but his eyes were trained on the pink haired girl standing next to him. There was softness in Sasuke's eyes that Deuce had seen before. And, almost imperceptible to anyone that didn't know Sasuke, there was a very small curve of his lip. Deuce looked that the girl standing next to Sasuke. She WAS very pretty. The clone closed his eyes and mentally went over the reels of video he had instant play back with a thought. Deuce had seen that look in Sasuke's eyes before. There were numerous instances where Sasuke would be training, or just lounging around and he would look off in a direction. For just a moment, one singular moment, his eyes would take on that softness, before Sasuke would shake off whatever he was thinking, and go back to the being the emotionless bastard he was famous for.

A smirk curled at Deuce's lips for an instant before he had to remember NOT to do that. He had found Sasuke's weakness. He had found the girl that Sasuke had come back for. Deuce replaced the picture and continued into the house. He would take the girl away from his Original. He would have what his Original had squandered away for power. Deuce would take her away from him and be the man Sasuke should have been from the beginning. Deuce ignored the place meant to remove his shoes and continued boldly into the house. It would be his house soon enough and he would do away with such an antiquated custom.

The living room was large space sparsely furnished. There was a playpen set up near the glass picture windows. Inside, was the boy he was supposed to take back to his Master. Minato was quietly playing with the mass of stuffed animals until Deuce was fully into the room. Deuce watched as the boy completely stilled and turned his violet eyes to Deuce. Minato knew the man standing a few feet away was NOT his Uncle. The man didn't look right, first of all, and he didn't FEEL right. Sasuke always felt cold with underlying warmth buried deep below surface. That heat would slowly spread to the surface in those moments when Sasuke thought he was alone with Sakura and Saiyuki. But the man standing feet away, this imposter didn't feel cold in that way. He felt slimy cold like a worm. There was malice laced in his aura and a budding desire Minato couldn't understand.

The boy's reaction was swift, but his movements were slow and calculated. The boy's eyes shifted from human to feral purple slits that pierced through Deuce's very soul. Minato was young, but he had eyes that could see more than most humans. Deuce tilted his head slightly and regarded Minato curiously. There was an intelligence and awareness beyond the boy's age. It didn't matter though. Minato backed up to put as much distance between the imposter and himself as the playpen allowed.

A small growl ripped from the boy's throat that sent an odd chill up Deuce's spine causing hair to stand on end. The growl was a warning, and not just for Deuce to keep his distance. Deuce hesitated for a moment and took a step closer. The growl was louder this time, and Deuce felt it just as much as he heard it. Minato wasn't going to go without a fight, but he wasn't going to take any chances either. He was scared, and he wanted his father to know he was scared.

0 – 0 – 0

Naruto rolled over and groaned. There was a large rock poking him in the side. Apparently, it was going to take a few days or so to make the den habitable. Large blue feral eyes blinked open and immediately shut against the invasion of the bright sun light filtering through the mouth of the den. He would have to do something about that, maybe get a few trees or some ivy to hide the entrance. He opened his eyes and squinted through the light, focusing on the trees just beyond the mouth of the cave.

He stepped forward out of the cave, yawning and stretching the kinks out of his back. He supposed it was time to get up and do something, food sounded like a good idea. His stomach growled in agreement to the idea. Ramen sounded good, but for some reason raw cow, or three, sounded even better. There was a farm not far from the village that had a whole herd of cattle, not to mention a few pigs. The large black fox darted forward and melded into the shadows of the forest. He smirked the only way he could, which would have looked more like a snarl had anyone seen his muzzle. It felt good to run. It felt good to be free.

Not far away from the mouth of the cave, the few ANBU still stationed around the area were hard pressed to keep up with the large creature. They didn't know where he was going, and Naruto didn't really care. He wouldn't pay any attention to them if they just stayed out of his way. The smaller animals and birds of the forest scampered out of the way of the fox slinking across the forest floor. It didn't take Naruto long to reach the edge of the forest where he could smell the tell tale sign that domesticated livestock were not far beyond the hedges of dense forest. Blue eyes peered through the brush, and his large body hunkered down. There was a gathering of three cows napping in the afternoon shade of the trees.

Naruto allowed his newly found instincts to take over. He had never really hunted while he was human. Sure, he had those missions to track that blasted cat and there had been a few times he had been to track down a rouge ninja or two, but he was never the tracker. He had been the man of action, the man that did the catching. Kakashi had done the tracking, or the ninja dogs had. Naruto had followed the dogs. Several tracking lessons came rushing back to Naruto, and all of them had proven one thing. Naruto lacked the patience. Well, he was going to forgo being human, so if he was going to learn patience now was a good time to learn should he want to eat. He took a step forward and a fallen tree branch broke under the weight of his large paw.

The three napping cows weren't napping anymore. Naruto couldn't wait any longer and burst through the underbrush clawing and biting at his prey. The three cows bolted into the open meadow, seemingly taunting Naruto's lack of skills as they went. He watched them trot away and felt the grumble in his stomach as they did. He would try again and again until he got it right. He was determined to get it right and he was determined to have beef for lunch.

He caught the scent of more cows in the vicinity and set off to try again. Several hours later and several failed attempts later, Razor sharp fangs finally connected with sweet flesh. There was a scream of pain, a spray of blood and gore and Naruto had his first kill dangling from his maw. Naruto had what he came for. There would be other cows. There would be other catches. There would be more blood. Naruto spat the bloody carcass to the ground and sniffed at the thing. There was something about the rawness, the death, the blood that appealed to him in a way he had never understood.

His heart pounded in his chest. He felt powerful. He felt the adrenaline rushing in his veins giving him a high he had never experienced. He licked the blood from his lips and the sweet tang of it tingled on his tongue. There was more than the blood on his tongue. It was the smell of fear in his nostrils that mixed with the blood. Naruto never liked the smell of fear, but mixed with the scent of blood it was almost intoxicating. He wanted more. The dead bovine was devoured in a matter of moments. Naruto was licking his lips with sublime satisfaction making the experience linger. He would have to do that again.

Now, he was full and surprisingly sleepy. A back paw scratched behind his ear before he was slinking back towards the den for his mid afternoon, after lunch, nap. Now he understood why the old fox slept so damn much. If hunting and eating was this much trouble, but oh so satisfying, you had to sleep just to have the strength to do it again.

Naruto took his time getting back to the den. He spent the time just lollygagging his way back. There was no urgency, or need to go back to the den, beside the want to sleep. He was having fun just being a fox. Vague flashes of memories from when he was human came back to him, running in an open field chasing butterflies, training in the trees, or chasing after a black haired woman under the moonlight. His mind lingered on that memory. He had felt the same things while chasing her. Though her arousal was much sweeter than fear and the end result just as orgasmic… The large fox stopped and shook his head. His ears flopped from side to side and a snarl escaped his lips. He wasn't going to think about her. He wasn't going to remember those times as a human. He wasn't human anymore.

Anger and grief flooded his mood. He roared at the trees for being in his path. Birds took flight as the swath of trees paid the price for his anger. He promised himself he wouldn't cry anymore. He promised himself he wouldn't shed another blasted tear because of her. He sat in the newly formed clearing to clear his head of his melancholy thoughts. Grey clouds had started to gather in the distance. The distinct smell of thunder and rain tickled his nostrils. It would rain in a few hours. A shower would feel good, or just playing in the rain sounded like an exquisite idea.

Humanity forgotten again, the fox got up and was once again headed back to the den he had carved out for himself. Little did he know that no matter how much at the moment he may have wanted to forget his humanity there were still things that connected him to the human world. And it hit him harder than he expected. Naruto stopped and blinked. It was a slight nudge at first, like something that would just get your attention. He shook his large head again and padded a few more feet when the second wave hit him, nearly knocking him sideways.

Naruto's mind instantly cleared from the fog he had cast around him in the last week and a half. Now that he was listening, he could hear his son's call loud and clear. Minato was scared and in danger. And that just wouldn't do. Grief or not, angry or not, Minato was just as important as Myra. At that moment Naruto could have slapped himself silly. Minato was just as important as Myra. He had gone off and been an idiot thinking he could shut out the world. Now his son was in danger, scared out of his little mind, and what was Naruto doing, running around the forest like a wild animal because he was pissed off at the world! Naruto snorted. He really could be an idiot sometimes. He was still pissed off at the world, but he shouldn't let his son suffer because of it. Naruto hung his large head. He would beg for Minato's forgiveness later.

Right now, something or someone was scaring Minato. Minato felt that he was in danger for some reason. Naruto was angry at them because they obviously weren't doing their job. There would be more blood and Naruto's lips formed a sadistic smile. He knew what human fear smelled like. He was extremely curious to find out what human blood tasted like when laced with fear. So now he was excited and almost giddy with the anticipation. There would be more blood and the blood wouldn't stop flowing until Minato was safe.

0 – 0 – 0

ANBU had finally caught up with Naruto as he was heading back to the cave. They were staying far enough back to make sure they wouldn't get in his way. Yamato's wallet was a little lighter because the farmer was a might bit upset about the loss of his cow. When Naruto stopped, they stopped. When he moved, they moved. But this time, they couldn't do much but stare in awe of what they saw.

The black nine tailed fox, stopped in the middle of the forest and seemed to be thinking, or at least that's what Yamato wanted to believe. Then there was a burst of menacing chakra that was extremely difficult to ignore, followed but yet another new clearing of trees. The five ANBU had to fall back a few hundred or so feet to be clear of the debris. It was a few moments later when the fox started to move again, it seemed as if there was something changing about the fox. Yamato watched as Naruto's feral blue eyes flashed back to human pupils for a split second. The fox shook his head and let out a snarl of displeasure. Naruto hadn't taken more than half a step when recognition was evident in his now very human looking eyes. The fog had cleared from Naruto's vision that much Yamato could tell. But there was something wrong, something urgently wrong. Now that Yamato had been alerted to something being amiss, he too stretched out his senses to see if he could sense the same thing.

Though Yamato couldn't hear of feel Minato's call for help, the ANBU captain could sense the urgency in the very trees. Someone close to Naruto was calling for help and it had been enough to pull the grief stricken youth from his depression. For that, Yamato was glad, but was very upset that it took someone Naruto cared about to be in trouble. There was a loud pop and billow of smoke when Yamato turned his attention back to the new clearing. The smoke hadn't cleared when the yellow flash of light illuminated the cloud, giving the smoke an eerie glow.

Yamato shook his head. They would never catch him now. The ANBU captain put his hand to his throat to activate the communication link. "Bravo Leader to Base. Naruto has left the forest. Bravo team returning to base."

There was a moment of static. "Base to Bravo Leader, any ideas on where he could have gone?"

"I've got a few ideas, but nothing I can confirm. The only thing I would say is to be on the lookout and approach with extreme caution; strike that, do not approach at all until we can be sure of Naruto's state of mind. Until then, if he is spotted, report his location and follow at a distance. In the meantime, apprise the Hokage of the situation. Bravo Leader out."

"Understood Bravo Leader, Base out." There was a moment of static before the communication link was silent once again.

0 – 0 – 0

Sasuke exited the Hokage building. He was mad. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn't always pissed about something. In actuality he had always been a very calm person. But when he did get angry about something, his actions were usually swift, decisive, violent and deadly. In this particular case of anger, Sasuke couldn't do anything. There was a clone in their midst. He wondered vaguely if she knew that she was a clone, or did she really believe the false hood they had fed her?

Sasuke shook off the uncomfortable thoughts. They would try to appeal to Naruto, using the strategy the fox had devised. They would cautiously approach the den and see what happened from there. If Naruto could be reasoned with, which is what Sasuke hoped for, they would leave the forest and it would be done. If Naruto refused to see reason, which Sasuke believed more likely, they would take Minato and run. Hopefully, it would spur Naruto into a fight. Not that Sasuke wanted to fight, because he didn't, neither did Kitsuya, but the idea was to wear Naruto down until his human side came back to the surface.

Kitsuya had explained it. Right now, Naruto was functioning on his animal instincts. His awareness allowed him the emotions needed for survival. Though he was prone to the higher cognitive levels that could be seen in his outbursts of rage, Naruto had buried his human emotions so deep that he couldn't or wouldn't feel them. They had to trigger those higher cognitive emotions. Putting Minato in danger could possibly trigger the fog to lift, because in order to protect Minato beyond being an animal, Naruto HAD to snap out of it.

Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh. This was going to be more difficult than it needed to be. The Uchiha was about to head home to get the ungrateful ex Kyuubi and his over developed nephew when something, or rather someone caught his attention. His mood soured further, which wasn't a surprise. He wanted to laugh, which was something he didn't do outside of at home with Sakura or in the presence of a select few. He thought he had told Kitsuya to stay with Sakura and Minato. Well, to stay at his house, but out of sight for the time being, Sakura still didn't know, and Sasuke wanted to keep it that way. But Kitsuya was standing, or rather leaning against the wall across the street, looking cool, aloof, and remarkably inconspicuous.

Sasuke had felt an odd pulse on his senses, causing him to turn his head. That's when he first noticed the demon standing across the way. Everyday people were passing Kitsuya as if he was just a normal part of the background. Now that Sasuke really looked at the tall red head, if he didn't know who the man was, even Sasuke would believe Kitsuya was just another random Leaf ninja hanging around the village. Kitsuya didn't look different, but he still stuck out in a few ways. There was the long red hair, pulled back in a tight pony tail at the nape of his neck. He was wearing the standard jonin uniform, complete with bandana and insignia plate displayed almost proudly around his arm. The strange boots he wore made Kitsuya stand out as well, but even with all the differences, no one paid him any heed. There was a smirk that played on the demon's human looking features. As Sasuke approached Kitsuya, the Uchiha took note that even the man's eyes had changed to look human in shape, but they maintained the red color.

Sasuke shook his head as he got closer to Kitsuya. "Hn."

"_**Once again, you amaze me with your communication skills."**_

"Hn."

"_**I didn't want to stay at the house. I am a free demon now. I can do what I want, when I want, and even you can't stop me."**_

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"

Kitsuya smirked. _**"Just because we have a common goal at the moment, doesn't mean I won't kill you later."**_

"How many times have you said that to Naruto?"

Kitsuya narrowed his eyes and they flashed back to slits. _**"Don't make me do something you would regret."**_

Sasuke turned towards the direction of his house. "You are nothing but talk, demon." He spat. "You have been nothing but talk for a very long time."

It was very fast and Sasuke wasn't expecting it. Time slowed to a crawl and Sasuke was slammed, HARD against the wall of the Hokage building. The plaster cracked under the force of the blow, and Sasuke's back stung from the impact. Kitsuya's hand was around Sasuke's throat, claws prickling the skin. Feral red eyes bore into Sasuke's black ones. _**"I can show you a thing or two about talk, boy."**_

Sasuke was about to release the sharingan and show the damn demon where he could stick it when Sasuke was stunned into complete stillness by a nose lightly sniffing around him. It was an extremely awkward moment because Sasuke had been thrown off his game. Kitsuya was…sniffing him? _What in the seven hells?_

Kitsuya dropped Sasuke to the ground and took a step back. Time sped to normal and Sasuke felt the full brunt of the impact against the wall. The air left his lungs and Sasuke was coughing to catch his breath. Kitsuya was just standing over him with a look of shock. The man was blinking rapidly as if trying to recall something in his memory deeply buried. Red eyes widened and right before the demon vanished into the crowd Sasuke could have sworn he heard Kitsuya whisper,_** "Beloved…"**_

0 – 0 – 0

Itachi watched and waited. Of course he watched and waited for far longer than he thought he would have to. The prison he was required to infiltrate was a lot more heavily guarded than he remembered. However, there was an odd sense that flitted around his mind that he could get in without any resistance. After all, he had inside information on how to get in. He pushed those thoughts aside. He would take the safer way of getting in. The plan had been to get to Kisame first, then reveal himself to Sasuke, but in retrospect, he changed his own plan. Sasuke first, then check on Kisame.

In all honesty, Kisame wasn't overly important to the current situation but he would become an essential part of the later plan. Kisame had spent several years as Madara's personal body guard and head of the security detail at the Mizukage's palace. If anyone knew all the secrets of the palace, or even Madara's greater secrets, Kisame might just know. Itachi, nodded to himself and took interest in the coming and going of the Hokage building instead.

Itachi spotted Nakamiko walking of the Hokage building with an arrogant air, followed closely by Shizune. The elder Uchiha brother stared in vague recognition. He had never met Shizune, but for some reason he knew her. He figured it was other memories that were not his surfacing. He also had an intense want to burst out laughing. Apparently Nakamiko's plan had not worked as she had intended. Itachi suppressed those thoughts, thoughts that were not his, and continued to watch the front of the Hokage building. He knew Sasuke was in there and walking down the stairs. It was a few moments later that his little brother emerged from the Hokage building, looking like he was deep in thought.

Itachi was about to approach Sasuke, but he was held back by the appearance of the tall red haired man walking towards Sasuke. Itachi blinked several times to get his less than perceptive eyes to focus the way he wanted them to. The man intrigued Itachi, though the nagging voice in the back of his mind was not impressed at all. His eyes refused to focus on this strange ninja and he cursed his lack of sharingan, something he would regain once he reconciled with his estranged little brother. The tall red head looked like a fuzzy outline with splotches of color. There was nothing about the man that made him stand out, save his red hair. He looked like a random ninja, but the enormous amount of power thinly cloaked behind layers of transformation jutsus made him all the more interesting. Once again Itachi had the impression that he would be extremely surprised when he figured out who the man was.

The man bodily threatened Sasuke, but no one seemed to notice the faster than thought movements by the Red Ninja, pinning Sasuke to the wall. As quick as the altercation started, it was over. Itachi was moving closer to his younger brother to render aide, but as soon as Itachi had blinked, the Red Ninja was gone. Sasuke was recovering from the slam against the wall. The younger Uchiha cursed under his breath and stared off in the direction of the Hospital. Itachi took his opportunity to stalk closer to Sasuke.

0 – 0 – 0

It didn't take long for Sasuke to sense the danger in the air. He moved with lightening reflexes to the deeper shadows of the park area near the Hokage building. Itachi followed. The two were at the near the cliffs of the Hokage Monument. Sasuke had his back to the cliff face and the tree line in front of him. Someone familiar was following him, but did not want to make himself known until they were alone. Sasuke stood quietly sensing the area, battle ready for the worst. He wasn't expecting Itachi to step out of the tree line into the perfectly sunlight of the afternoon. Sasuke glared and let Itachi know he was not exactly happy about the situation.

"How?" Sasuke was REALLY angry now.

Itachi was calm as ever. He schooled his features to remain unemotional. He didn't expect a fight, but was ready for it none the less. "Not really important. Where did Shizune take the girl?"

"You aren't Itachi at all. You're one of Madara's clones!" Sasuke had enough. Was that mad man ever going to be done fucking with people's minds?

"That's only half true Little Brother, but we don't have the time for idle gossip. There are events happening that could have a dire outcome should we let them continue."

Sasuke set aside his anger for the moment. "What do you mean?"

"The girl, where was she taken?"

"Which girl?"

If Itachi acted on the extreme inclination to roll his eyes, now would have been the time to do it, but he didn't and suppressed the urge. "The one that looks like our cousin." It sounded a little more sarcastic than Itachi intended.

"So she IS a clone…" Sasuke muttered to himself.

"Where was she taken?" Itachi demanded gently.

Sasuke studied the man before him. He looked like Itachi and even felt like Itachi. However, it was impossible. Itachi was an immobile lump of flesh breathing through a tube, eating through a tube and pissing into a bag. "Tell me what's going on and I will consider an exchange of information."

Itachi sighed uncharacteristically. "Nakamiko is to get close enough to Naruto to kill him. My job was to kill Kisame and Orochimaru's girl toy, and Deuce is responsible for taking Minato."

Sasuke's eyes widened. How did the clone know about Minato? How did the clone know about Karin? How did the clone know anything? Was there a spy in Konoha? Tsunade had suspected there was, but this level of information went deeper than just a spy. "So why come to me?"

"Because I have no intention of killing anyone today, nor do I wish for anyone's death save Madara's."

Sasuke heard the words and even felt the truth of the statement. The truth of the words went deep into his mind nearly searing his bones. He had to recover quickly or he would actually believe the imposter before him. "Why should I believe you?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"You and I had our quarrel and you ended it. I gave you my eyes to defeat Madara and you did nothing but squander my gift. I blame myself for that. But now I will atone for my sins by returning to the village I died for. You are the only person I will ever ask for forgiveness." Itachi held out his wrists in submission. "Take me to the council and let them do as they see fit for my crimes. But before you do, let me stop the tragedy that will befall Konoha."

The sincerity of his words continued to sear into his mind. Sasuke realized he didn't have the time to debate his actions. The clone had to die and so did that woman creature that was on her way to the hospital. And then there was the third one that was probably on his way to his house at this very moment. The younger Uchiha charged his chidori in his hand. He stepped forward with a push of chakra. Something pulled at the back of his mind. _"Let him atone for his sins."_

The words echoed in Sasuke's mind as he sped towards Itachi. Everything screamed for Sasuke to stop his assault. Itachi dropped his arms to the side and closed his eyes. Apparently, Sasuke wasn't going to be forgiving. Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks. Itachi was enveloped by a deep purple aura. They were nose to nose and Sasuke's Chidori was a hare's breath away from Itachi's heart. The purple aura that had surround Itachi was preventing Sasuke from dealing the killing blow.

"_Let him atone for his sins."_ Myra's voice echoed louder in Sasuke's mind.

Itachi DID smirk that time. "It seems Myra wishes for us to make amends."

The chidori faded and Sasuke stepped back from Itachi in complete shock. There was a questioning look on his face. The elder Uchiha sighed, shaking his head. "I haven't figured it out either, Little Brother. I don't understand really, I merely accept it."

"_Kitsuya will deal with the girl."_ Myra's voice echoed softly.

Sasuke looked around to find Myra. "Where are you?"

He felt a wave of warmth around him and he could feel that slight pressure in the back of his mind. He felt ghostly lips press to his forehead. _"Everywhere."_ And then the lips were gone, leaving the slightest impression of cold on his brow.

Sasuke just stood there stunned. He could feel her playful nature all around him. She was in the air he was breathing. And it irritated him no end. She was ALIVE! Sasuke shook his head with a smirk on his lips. "Crazy Bitch."

"_Silly Fucktard."_ The sound of her disembodied giggle was a little eerie.

"Shouldn't you be telling Naruto you're alive?" Sasuke grumped. He was actually relieved they weren't going to have to beat sense into Naruto.

The purple aura surrounding Itachi vanished quickly. Now that the danger had passed, Myra felt that she could reveal herself to Sasuke and Itachi. The brothers felt the coalescing of a massive amount of chakra in a very confined area around them. A few feet away from them, a sliver of bright light seemed to tear through the very fabric of reality. Though the sliver of light, deep purple almost black tendrils of visible chakra started to form boots, then legs, then moments later, Myra stood before the brothers Uchiha. Her voice still had that echo to it, like she really wasn't there. _"I can't tell him something that I don't know."_

Sasuke blinked. "But you're right here." He went to grab her to prove, more to himself, that she was real, that she was really there. His hands slipped right through her and Sasuke stumbled forward. He turned back to see Myra's sad smile. He could feel her sadness flowing off of her in waves.

She shrugged. _"Death isn't that bad. The bright side is I think I've found the secret to how Madara is still alive, because he isn't."_

"So you ARE dead?" Sasuke was surprised by the emotion in his voice. He didn't want to believe that she was dead before. He REALLY didn't want to believe it now.

"_I can't find my body or at least I can't find my way back to it. That's the risk of the Dream Warrior Jutsu. I separated my soul from my body, created a rip in the fabric between the Ethereal and the Physical world, stepping through and creating a new visible body from the chakra. I gain the powers and abilities I would have in the Ethereal, but I have no real body and I cannot affect physical matter, unless it has a counterpart existing in the Ethereal. Should the thread that ties the soul to the body be severed, the body dies and the soul is left forever to drift in the Ethereal."_

Sasuke tilted his head. "What do you do with your body while you are having this out of body experience?_"_

"_During the attack on the power plant, my body was hidden in a cave very near the cliff where Naruto found us."_

"What's the last thing you remember?" Itachi hadn't really thought to ask her. He was just as curious as to what was going on as anyone else, but it just wasn't all that important when she found him.

Myra looked contemplative for a few long seconds. _"Falling, I remember falling. Naruto appeared as we were running from the Power plant. I had left my body protected in a cave at the top of the cliff before we made the assault on the power plant. When the explosives were set, we were on our way out when the alarm was tripped. I was in charge of keeping the guards distracted while the others were getting out of the way. The other advantage, nothing can affect me either._

_Sai was the one that found out that Kabuto was on an inspection tour of the plant. Apparently Kabuto found out about the plant's secondary purpose. I found Sai on his last legs fighting with Kabuto. The Otokage was about to kill Sai when…"_ Myra trailed off slightly.

"When what?" Sasuke really wanted to know how Kabuto finally came to justice.

Myra took a deep breath. _"When I ripped out his soul and absorbed his chakra, killing him instantly. But that is another story we can worry about later. We were all injured in some way. Sai was the worst off of all of us. We had lost one of the extra ANBU in the escape. The other two and I got Sai to a safe distance in the tree line. I got Sai stabilized and ordered them to get to the cliff peak. I went back for the stray. I was determined that we were all coming back alive, or we weren't going back at all. I was able to create a big enough distraction that the third ANBU was able to get away. We caught up with everyone at the top of the cliff. I reclaimed my body and activated the kunai Naruto had given me._

"_It was less than ten seconds later when Naruto appeared in the flash of yellow light. He wanted to take me first and I wouldn't let him. The three extra ANBU were mobile, so he took them first. He came back for Sai and was gone in the same yellow flash of light. Just as Naruto vanished, there was an earthquake that shook the cliff. I fell. That was the last time I remember having my body._

"_I woke up feeling lost. I had this severe sense of disconnection with everything and everyone. I wondered for a while. Honestly, I don't know how long I was wondering. I realized I was just a 'ghost'. I made it to the village, but I couldn't get through the barrier. So I waited. I could sense Naruto and I could feel his despair. I tried to get through to him, but he wasn't listening. He cut himself off from his emotions. I can't reach him if he isn't listening. When I found Itachi and the other clones within the group of refugees heading into the village a few days ago, I knew I had to do something, I just didn't know what. So I experimented. I high jacked my way in, through Itachi."_ Myra finished her tale with a shrug.

"You possessed him!" Sasuke yelled incredulously.

Itachi shook his head. "No, I allowed her to cohabitate for a while. What Madara does is a complete possession, destroying the original's soul in the process."

"_Actually, he doesn't destroy the soul really, he absorbs it, making it part of himself and it continues to fuel him. The possession is something he does because he's evil that way."_

"But," Itachi interjected. "I believe this tragic accident has shed light on the possibility of the deeper secret of Madara's that only Kisame may know."

Sasuke looked contemplative. "You think his original body may still be alive somewhere."

Myra nodded. _"As I believe my body is still somewhere, though incapacitated, but I might just be alive somewhere."_ She smiled brightly, warming the chilly air around her.

"Hn." Sasuke snorted. Her optimism rivaled Naruto's sometimes. "So… What now?"

"_I think…"_ Myra sharply turned to the left and stared off in the distance. _"Do you think you two could wait to kill each other until later? Minato is in trouble. Deuce got in the house."_ She turned back to Itachi and Sasuke. _"You may want to clear people from the streets. Things are about to get ugly."_

Despite the clear blue skies over head, there was a flash of lightening and a clap of thunder. Sasuke and Itachi shielded their eyes from the intense light flashing a few feet from where they stood. When the flash blindness cleared, and the brother's could focus, Myra was gone. Itachi looked to his younger brother. "Is she always like that?"

"You mean crazy as a loon? Or just overly flashy?"

"Both?"

"Pretty much."

"She told me I have a niece." Itachi actually smiled, though sadly.

Sasuke scowled. "I want an explanation before I tell you anything, but not now. I need to get to the house." He took off like a shot.

Itachi followed. "Agreed, Deuce is rather stupid to a fault, which is why he was given the easiest of the tasks."

Sasuke kept his fast pace. "Easiest?"

"Well, yes. How hard will it be to take a baby from his crib?" Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Hn. Myra tells you about Saiyuki, but tells you nothing of her own son… Why does that not surprise me?" Sasuke paused. "Let's just say, Minato isn't just a baby."

0 – 0 – 0

The toddler in the play pen continued to growl at Deuce letting him know he was not welcome in the house. Deuce gazed at the boy. "No amount of resistance is going to save you."

Minato couldn't stop him, and he knew it. The only way for this situation to end without anyone getting hurt was for the boy to go quietly and hope that someone would notice. Minato was about to back down and allow the imposter to get closer when Sakura came out into the living room. "Oh… Sasuke-kun. I didn't think…" she trailed off. "When did you change back to the stupid bow thing?" Her brow furrowed in confusion. _Hadn't he been wearing all black when he left this morning?_

Deuce turned his best glare to Sakura. "I need to take the boy with me."

Sakura tilted her head, still slightly confused. "Okay… That's fine. How did Lady Tsunade take to the plan?"

Deuce didn't exactly know how to respond, so he went with the Sasuke's classic answer to everything. "Hn."

Sakura narrowed her eyes slightly. That was no where near the right kind of answer. Well it was, but the tone and inflection in the grunt was more of a question than a statement. The pitch was off just enough for her to suspect something. She tensed.

Deuce noticed her reaction and flickered from her sight. In the blink of an eye, he had appeared behind her. Deuce allowed the grin to slip on his lips. He may not have the sharingan, but he was just as fast as Sasuke. Sakura's eyes widened and then the pain shot though her skull. Green eyes closed slowly and her body slumped forward. Deuce caught her. "Sorry pretty lady. This wasn't exactly how I wanted to introduce myself but I'm sure I can reacquaint myself later."

0 - 0 - 0

Minato should have taken Sakura's entrance as an opportunity to get away, but he didn't. There had been the faintest touch to the back of his mind that told him to get to Saiyuki, take her and run to Tsunade. The boy blinked, his growling stopped and it was clear as day. Minato transformed as Sakura collapsed. He jumped from the play pen and scurried to the nursery where the small girl child lay sleeping in the crib.

Deuce heard the pop of the jutsu and stared wide eyed as the teenaged boy appeared from the smoke. The boy was definitely not what he seemed. Deuce set Sakura down gently, stroking her cheek as he did. She was very pretty and he would have fun with her later. He stood and twisted the kinks out of his neck before he stalked down the corridor after the boy. "Come now boy, the Master wants you alive. I don't want to disappoint him."

Minato held the sleeping Saiyuki in his arms, praying to every Kami he knew of that she would stay asleep. He was hidden behind the chair nearest the door of the nursery. He needed a distraction to get away. He needed something that would get the imposter further down the hallway and possibly into the library, that way he could bolt for the side door through the kitchen. He hasn't mastered clones yet. The Kyuubi had laughed at him, telling him he was as bad as his father. He lightly beat his head against the wall. Minato would have to learn that trick if it killed him and he swore that if he did get out of this, he would practice until he died. Then as if an answer to his prayers, the light touch to his mind returned. _"Take her to Sakura and get out."_

Minato snapped to attention. There in the doorway was a ghostly silhouette of his mother. She was watching the hallway. _"When he moves past the nursery, go quickly."_

"Mama…" he whispered, tears in his voice.

Myra smiled sadly at her son. As far as she knew, she wasn't visible yet, which meant that he could see her. Her son would bare the same burden as she. Being able to see and communicate with the dead never went over well at parties. But on the other hand she was very proud of him. He had grown so much, so much more than she had expected. When she got the chance she would be smacking around a certain fox. Minato wanted to cry. This confirmed his fears. His mother was dead. She was nothing more than a ghost, but she was still watching over him and protecting him. For that he was truly grateful. He swallowed and regained control over his emotions and stayed silent. Myra looked to the other side of the door. _"Stay quiet, wake Sakura and leave."_

Minato nodded. He looked up to his mother, and she was gone. The boy took several breaths to calm his frazzled nerves. He was scared, but his mother was here. His eyes closed for a split second. When he opened them, there was a hand pushing the door open. Minato held his breath and waited. He would let his mother do what she could to help him escape.

"Hey you stupid jack wagon! You want me? Come and get me!" Minato heard his voice further down the hallway.

The door to the nursery stopped moving and the hand disappeared. Minato felt the chakra pulse and heard the hurried footsteps down and around the corner. There were sounds of crashing glass and falling books. "HA HA! Too Slow. You can't catch me, ya big lummox."

It made Minato smirk. As quietly as he could, he crept out of the nursery back to the living room where Sakura was lying. Off in the back of the house he could hear doors slamming open. "Where are you brat?"

Minato got to Sakura and gently tapped on her cheek. The pinkette took a few moments, before she groaned and her eyes rapidly blinked open. Green and violet clashed for another moment. Sakura was about to scream.

Minato's hand covered his aunt's mouth. "Please don't scream Aunt Sakura." He whispered in earnest. "We need to leave." He placed the still sleeping infant girl in Sakura's arms.

Sakura was extremely bewildered, but she nodded. The boy removed his hand from her mouth. "Mi… Minato?" She stared at the boy.

"Too slow again, you MORON!" There was a crash somewhere in Sasuke's study.

"He isn't Sasuke." Sakura cradled the baby to her chest.

Minato shook his head. "No, he isn't. We need to go now. Mama said go to Grama Tsunade."

Sakura tried to stand and wobbled slightly. Minato was right there to help her up. Her head was splitting and she felt like she had just been hit by a brick wall. She didn't even catch the part where Minato had mentioned Myra. Sakura regained her footing and shook off the effects of the blow to the back of her skull. She placed a glowing green hand to the back of her skull to stave off the effects until she could at least get looked at, but there were more pressing matters at hand, like escaping.

Minato was keeping his eye on the hallway, just incase the imposter finally figure out he was literally chasing a ghost. He tugged on Sakura's shirt, pulling her to the door. "We need to go now, please."

Sakura nodded. They were steps from the door when Minato felt the cold shiver of the imposter grab the back of his shirt. The boy was hoisted off the ground, and tossed back into the house. "You aren't going anywhere, brat."

"Minato!" Sakura screamed, waking the sleeping baby in her arms. There were a few hiccups and snuffles from the baby before the wee one wailed in fear. Minato crashed into a wooden table was in a heap of splinters and limbs. It took him a moment to recover his bearings from being thrown, but it was nothing that hadn't happened before. The Kyuubi had a better toss, and though Minato could thank the Kamis that the table had tons more give than a tree, it still hurt like hell. Warmth enveloped him and the pain vanished. _"Stay down and wait for it."_ He did as his mother told him.

Deuce smiled sadistically at Sakura. "As much as I would like to have played with you a little before you figured out who I am, or I should say, who I'm not," His smile took on a lecherous intent. "I didn't come for you this time around, so I will show mercy and let you leave, as long as you go now."

Sakura was torn. She needed to protect Minato, but should couldn't stay. With her free hand, she charged her chakra for one good punch. Sakura's fist clenched and she made to pull back to punch. Something stayed her hand. _"Go… It will be ok."_

It was the faintest whisper. But Sakura had never doubted Myra before, she wasn't about to start now. The pinkette unclenched her fist, releasing the chakra in the process and bolted for the Hokage building. Deuce watched the woman leave. He only had a few moments before the area would be swarming with ANBU, or worse… His Original, but that was going to be a moot point if he had a hostage.

The number two clone walked with a cocky air into the living room towards the seemingly unconscious youth. He stood over the boy and sighed. "Why did you have to make it so difficult? If you just had come quietly, I wouldn't have made a bad impression on the pretty lady, and I might have gotten to have a little fun with her before I took you away. Oh well, I guess I have to wait for that."

Deuce reached down and picked up the boy by the scruff of his shirt. He brought the boy to eye level and just looked at him. "You are something else aren't you?"

Minato had stayed silent long enough. He stepped in Deuce's stomach with his left foot, and kicked Deuce in the chin with his right. Using the momentum of the kick, Minato flipped out of Deuce's grasp, landing on his feet a few paces away from the reeling clone. Minato smirked. He could fight now and he was going to show the bastard, his mother and anyone else watching what he was made of. There was a flash of yellow light and Minato's eyes went wide with shock. Then the biggest smile spread across his face. Reinforcements had arrived.

Deuce recovered and was pissed. "Why you little shit!" He tried to step forward and couldn't. Something, or rather, someone had stopped him from moving.

Naruto growled. The momentarily stunned clone tensed. The blonde took the opportunity to place a teleport seal on the clone's back. The clone turned to stare into feral blue eyes of a very pissed off, very protective, and very alive Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. If Naruto was alive, did that mean that Nakamiko had failed? Deuce didn't think her idea was a good one anyway. It was too complicated and just down right idiotic. Now because of her failure, he was going to fail in his mission as well. He just hoped Trace had faired better.

"**You want to know the reason Teme stopped wearing that stupid ass bow?"**

Deuce had the decency to gulp.

Naruto thought a practical demonstration was in order. The blonde pivoted on his foot, and tossed the clone from the Uchiha household. Naruto wasn't really worried about the human shaped hole in the ceiling, he was sure that Sasuke would understand under the circumstances, and beside, it wasn't like Naruto wouldn't have it fixed later. The elder Uzumaki turned back to his son.

"DAD!" Minato barreled into his father.

Naruto caught Minato in his arms, scooping him up and hugging him to his chest. Minato was safe and that's all that mattered. Naruto let out a sigh of relief, pulling his son back so he could have a look. **"You okay?"** He questioned.

Minato sniffled and used his arm to wipe away the tears and snot on his face. He didn't want to look like a wuss in front of his dad. "I'll be alright."

Naruto hugged the boy tightly. The elder blonde stood up and pushed his son to arms length. **"Head for the Hokage tower. Find Sakura and Teme. They will protect you while I deal with the imposter."**

"Why can't I just stay with Mama?" Minato blinked at his father.

Naruto tensed. **"Kit, I thought you knew."**

Minato tilted his head in confusion and then it dawned on the boy what his father was talking about. "Oh that… But Mama is…" the boy felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and Minato turned to look up at his mother.

"_Let him go take care of the bad guy, I'll tell him when he gets back."_

Naruto watched curiously as Minato turned his head to look at something over his shoulder. The boy nodded and turned back to Naruto with a sigh. "Okay, but don't be too long."

Naruto stepped back and was gone in a flash of yellow light. Minato turned to look at his mother's ghostly figure. "Why didn't you just show yourself to him? He would have been so happy to see you."

Myra smiled at Minato. _"Right now your father needs to focus his aggression on something tangible. And until I can fix my situation, I'm not overly tangible at the moment. You're safe, Sakura is safe and so is Saiyuki. That's what was important. We can stay here, if you want too and wait for your father to come back, or we can head for the house, it's up to you."_

"Dad did say to head for the Hokage building."

Myra smirked. _"There is enough going on in the center of the village. It would be best if we just stayed out of the way."_

Minato nodded. "I think it's best if we stay here."

Myra picked up on Minato's hesitation to return home. _"Why don't you want to go home?"_

The boy tensed slightly. "Because I don't want you to be mad at Dad just yet."

"_The house is a mess, isn't it?"_

"I didn't do it." Minato answered defensively.

Myra put her hands on her hips and bent over the boy. _"How bad is my kitchen?"_

Minato smiled toothily. "We need a new fridge? And maybe a new sink. Oh and a new kitchen table too… Didn't you say something about wanting new dishes? And new cabinets to put them in?"

If Myra hadn't already been colorless, the color would have drained from her face. _"I'm going to kill him."_

0 - 0 - 0

Deuce landed. He wasn't exactly sure where he landed, but he was on the ground. A pretty blonde girl with striking blue eyes lifted a large chunk of ceiling off of Deuce.

"Naruto's got great aim! I swear, each and every time you two get into a fight, I need more work done to my shop." She said as if this exact situation had happened before.

Deuce looked up at his blonde angel. She was just as pretty, if not prettier than the pink haired girl. He wanted to smirk and be his charming self, but now was not exactly the time for that. "You could say that." he groaned out and tried to stand up. He found out quickly that there was more debris that needed to be removed from his person.

Ino sighed and shook her head. "I think I want a new air conditioning system installed this time around. Where I appreciate that you and Naruto fixed my roof and the air conditioning the last time you came crashing through my roof, it hasn't been the same. I also think you should hire professionals to do it, you cheap skate."

Deuce pushed the rest of the debris off and got to his feet, though he wobbled a bit. "Uh… yeah, sounds like a great idea. You do that and put it on my tab." He tried to stalk past the girl, but she was having none of it.

"Your tab? You don't have a tab."

Deuce stopped and turned a glare at Ino.

Ino paused and raised a confused eyebrow. His glare wasn't nearly as intimidating as it normally was. "Are you sure you're okay Sasuke-kun?"

The bright sun light streaming through the Sasuke sized hole in the roof masked the flash of light when Naruto popped into the Yamanaka Florist shop. **"Ino… I'm sorry about the roof again. I'll make sure it gets fixed later. Right now, Teme…"** Naruto spat the normally affectionate insult, **"and I have some unfinished business."** He ended the sentence with a menacing growl.

Deuce wasn't sure what he should do. Some deep seeded instinct told him to run. His more logical brain told him to evade and escape, which as he was thinking about it, was just prettier words for running like a coward. Since his deep seeded instincts and his logical brain were in agreement, he did exactly that. Deuce turned tail, and bolted from the flower shop.

Naruto smirked with sublime satisfaction. He was going to revel in the chase. The scent of the clone's fear over powered the fragrance of the flower shop. The imposter was running, but it wouldn't take much to catch him. The clone had a locater seal on his back. The clone could run all the way back to Madara and Naruto could still find him. Suddenly, a new idea slipped into Naruto's mind. He would chase the clone. Heck, he would even beat the clone senseless just so he could satisfy his curiosity about human blood and the smell of fear. But he would allow the clone to live, just to get the locater seal close enough to Madara. Then… THEN, Naruto could truly end the war, take revenge for Myra death, and kill Madara once and for all. The smirk turned to an evil grin that held more than Naruto's playful mischief. Naruto was about to flash away when a delicate hand grabbed his forearm.

Naruto whipped his attention to Ino. **"I said I would fix the roof."** He snarled a little more harshly than he indented or meant.

Ino let go of Naruto as if burned. The boy had never scared her. But after recent events, things she has heard and seeing Lee in the hospital, she wasn't sure what to think. "Naruto-kun," the fear laced in her voice disturbed Naruto.

The blonde boy blinked. Sure, he had never really liked Ino. She was bossy, conceited, loud, obnoxious, and far too girly. Much like himself in a few ways, except for the girly part. However, she was one of his friends. She was one of those people he had fought next to. She was one of those few that had bled with him. Ino shouldn't have a reason to be smelling so strongly of fear. Despite the fact that fragrance tickled his senses and excited him more than he wanted to admit, she shouldn't be afraid of him.

"Don't hurt Sasuke-kun. He's only trying to help." She said quietly, hoping that Naruto would respond. He hadn't hurt Hinata, maybe he wouldn't hurt her. She had never seen Naruto so angry before. Yes, she had been witness to the infamous fight with Pein. Yes, she had seen Naruto out of control and angry. That had scared her then, but for completely different reasons. Seeing Naruto in control and this angry terrified her. She believed he was going to kill Sasuke. She believed he was going to do something, she couldn't let him do.

Naruto shook his head and sighed. **"I wouldn't hurt Sasuke unless he was asking for it. But that,"** Naruto pointed in the direction Deuce had run off. **"Was. NOT. Sasuke."**

Ino's eyes widened. "What?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. **"When have you known Sasuke to run from anything, especially me?"**

Ino though about it and then she put it all together. "He wouldn't."

Naruto smiled at her and nodded. **"Exactly. Now, I'll fix the shop later. I have to catch me a clone."**

0 - 0 - 0

Nakamiko was still confused. That was the only way she could describe her feelings. Something just kept nagging at her that everything was wrong. Everything was just so very wrong. As the day went by, her mission, her life, her thoughts, just continued to spiral further out of her control. The only thing that made sense at the moment was putting one foot in front of the other. Even after the hot shower nothing made sense.

Shizune led her to an exam room where they treated her wounds. They were superficial anyway. She was given clean clothes, put in another room and told to wait. She couldn't wait much longer. Nakamiko had to get to the Jinchuriki. She would be able to kill him and get out of this place that continued to confused her so. Then maybe, just maybe, she could get back to Madara, where things made sense. Or did they? Things had made sense because she wouldn't allow herself to think otherwise.

From the moment she stepped, blinking into the harsh light of the laboratory of her creation, the moment she uttered the words that still caused her stomach to churn, she had felt like something wasn't right with her world. But she had ignored those thoughts because they didn't hold with the edicts that she had been programmed with. The farther away she got from Madara, the more she was able to hear her own thoughts. The her mind cleared from the fog Madara had her under. The closer she had gotten to the village of Konoha, the truth seemed closer to her understanding.

What was the truth anyway? Shizune had left her in the exam room for what seemed like hours. Nakamiko decided that she had to get out of this room and do what she had come to do. It was the only thing that made sense. She would kill the jinchuriki and leave this cursed village. She hopped off the table and opened the door. Nakamiko was met with a wall in the form of a very tall, black clad, red haired ninja. _**"Where do you think you are going?"**_

She looked up into eyes that were wild and full of rage. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew these eyes. Though she remembered them softer, not so full of anger, and filled with something else… love? She shook off those thoughts and continued her charade. "I was going to find a phone. I wish to speak with my father."

"_**Your father is long dead. I should know, I had to killed him, thinking I was saving you."**_ Kitsuya pushed her back into the room.

Nakamiko's eyes widened. He spoke the truth, and she knew it deep down. But technically Madara was her father, wasn't he? He did create her. No, Kabuto created her. Madara had her created. "I don't know what you're talking about." She stuttered out.

Kitsuya pushed her up against a wall, pinning her there with his arms on either side of her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling her scent. He had to confirm his first suspicion. Red feral eyes opened and stared at her. He had seen her walking from the Hokage building and thought she was nothing more than a piss poor attempt at cloning Myra. Kitsuya had deduced she was sent to do nothing more than torment an already tormented soul. But this, THIS went far beyond that now. _**"Why?"**_ He growled. _**"WHY?"**_

Nakamiko had never been scared of anything in her short life. But this man holding her against the wall scared her to death. "I… I don't know what you are talking about."

Kitsuya already knew that cloning was something against the natural order of things. He had originally believed that the clones were going to be soulless creatures that would be under Madara's control. But this woman in front of him confirmed his worst fear. The clones had a soul. They were probably remnants of the lives Madara had taken over the years. He had saved Miyako from the fate worse than death, but the small piece of her soul that Madara had taken was now incased in the created woman. It was that reason Miyako had never reincarnated. It was the reason Miyako couldn't return to him. It was all so clear to Kitsuya at that moment, that he began to laugh. _**"I suppose the bastard Uchiha sent you here to kill me."**_

Nakamiko's eyes narrowed. He didn't look like the Jinchuriki. Well, he did, but he was older, much older and had red hair. "I still don't know what you're talking about."

A fist impacted the wall near her head, going straight through to the exam room on the other side. _**"Don't play stupid with me."**_

He stared at her and she could feel his stare sear the soul she didn't know she had. "I wasn't sent to kill you." She answered with sincerity.

Kitsuya removed he arm from the hole in the wall and clamped claws around her throat. _**"You lie. You may not know you are lying, but you lie."**_ He claws closed further around her throat. _**"The bastard Uchiha sent you to kill Naruto, thus killing me in the process, or at least that's what he would like to believe."**_

Nakamiko pulled at the hand at her throat. He was choking the life from her body and she felt powerless to stop him. She felt that it was right to let him kill her. He was justified in taking her life. Though her mind screamed that she should fight back because her life belonged to Madara, her heart screamed just as loudly that her life belonged to this… this… DEMON in front of her. Her eyes widened in dawning comprehension. She WAS sent to kill Naruto and that would kill the demon sealed inside him. This man closing his hand around her throat WAS the Kyuubi no Kitsune. And he was not where he was supposed to be. Her heart soared with that idea. He wasn't sealed inside the boy anymore. He was free.

For the first time in the months she had been alive, her soul was at peace. Everything made sense to her. She had gone along with Madara's ideas because she was going to kill Naruto. This she knew from the very beginning. Killing Naruto would kill the demon within, but in killing the demon, he would be free of his prison. That had been Nakamiko's drive from the very beginning. She hadn't understood it then nor did she really care. She would release the demon from of his prison, and then she would turn the blade on herself. She had buried those thoughts, which was why she had been so confused. She had understood that Madara could read her thoughts, so to hid her true intentions, she had banished those intentions from her mind. When she was finally confronted with the Jinchuriki, she would remember her reasons for not killing herself the minute she stepped from the waters of her creation. Nakamiko knew his suffering was on her hands. She had been the reason he had been imprisoned in the first place. She may not have the memories of why, how, or when, but it was something she knew on a level beyond all reason.

The woman went completely limp in Kitsuya's grasp. "Then do with me as you see fit." She whispered hoarsely.

Kitsuya's eyes narrowed at the woman, his claws loosening their grip so she could answer his question. _**"What are you playing at now? You think because you aren't going to fight back that I will spare your life?"**_

Nakamiko took in a breath. "I was sent to kill Naruto, that much I will admit to. And I would have killed him had I been given the chance. But now, the reason I wanted his death seems futile. You are free of your prison. My life has no purpose anymore."

Kitsuya dropped her and stepped back. _**"What do you mean?"**_

Nakamiko dropped to the floor and rubbed at her throat. She coughed a few times before she spoke again. "I mean what I say, Lord Kyuubi. I was never loyal to Madara, though I didn't understand my confusion until now." She went on to explain to him her true thoughts and intentions.

Kitsuya nodded and listened. He didn't dare hope it was true. Madara enjoyed suffering and malice. The bastard Uchiha enjoyed feeding off of despair and sorrow. The demon didn't think it was possible, but there was a chance that maybe when Madara infused the remnant of Miyako's soul into the clone, that the rest had chosen to reincarnate with the woman, thus making her more than just a clone. _**"Stand up."**_

Nakamiko did as she was told and kept her head down. "Are you going to kill me?"

"_**That depends. Turn around."**_ He had to be sure, and there was a way to find out.

Once again, Nakamiko did as she was told and turned to face the wall. She closed her eyes, held her breath and just waited. Kitsuya used his claws to expose the back of her neck and her shoulder. She shivered when the cool air hit her exposed skin. The Fox gathered the flames of his chakra around his hand. _**"I will make this a painless as possible."**_

He pressed his hand against her exposed skin and she screamed. Kitsuya felt a bit bad for her. It was going to hurt no matter what he did, but he had to know. He had to do this to be sure of the truth. If she was Miyako reincarnated, this would tell him more than her scent. This would also break any hold Madara had on her. After a few moments, he removed his hand from her shoulder and had to catch her as she fell unconscious. He gazed upon her shoulder and just stared there for a few moments. The mark he had given her at the time of their mating was glowing brightly. It pulsated with his flame like chakra before turning black and calming down. He slid down the wall, pulling her into his lap. Kitsuya held her close and buried his nose in her hair. He had his mate back. And this time, he wasn't going to screw it up.

0 - 0 - 0

HOLY TOLEDO! Will Myra reveal herself to Naruto? Will Naruto run like a little girl because of his fear of ghosts? Has anyone really understood why the Blonde titan has a fear of ghosts? Did Minato inherit Myra's ability to see beyond the Veil? Or did Minato get it from somewhere else? Is there more than two traitor in Madara's clone ranks? Can our heroes find Myra's body before it's too late? Tune in next time to find the answers! In the meantime, reviews are appreciated, but not required.


	88. This is not my day

A/N: *points below* Look... A chapter. Yeah me! Had really bad case of "I don't wanna to". That and this is like the 5th or 6th incarnation of this chapter. I've lost count really. I was just never really happy about it until recently. Anyway, let me stop talking and let you get to it.

Warning: I don't own it except for the crap I came up with.

**Chapter 88: This is not my day**

In the Village hidden in the Waterfall:

Rai was standing at the open flaps of the tent set up as the command center for the rescue operation. Refugees were coming from all over the area. Some had been displaced by the volcanic eruption, but most of them were the displaced villagers of the Unclaimed Territories and surprisingly enough, a few farming villages from Sound. The destruction was massive, but the loss of life was minimal. Sound villagers, though closely guarded, had reported that there had been ninja that came through and told them to leave. The same reports had come from other refugees in the Unclaimed Territories. While some of the villagers and live stock had been slaughtered, the majority had been told to pack what they could carry and head northwest towards Rock and Waterfall.

It was confusing at best, but it meant something even more devastating. Madara had expected an attack on Sound. If this was the case, as Rai suspected, Madara had planned for that eventuality and possibly already moved his clone army elsewhere. Which meant that Myra's brilliant idea to destroy Sound and the cloning factories had been for naught. Madara had built up Sound as the 'patsy' to take the fall for his devious plan. There was one other thing that kept needling at Rai. Madara was a brilliant tactician, but he seemed to know what was going to happen before it actually happened. He was playing Konoha and the other villages like pieces on a chess board, but even the best chess players could only guess the most likely course of action.

Chess was a game of statistics, gambits, and strategy. You have to plan moves in advance and know that if the opposing player did 'x' or 'y', you could use 'a' to counter both strategies, or you pulled 't' out of nowhere to completely confuse and possible win the whole game. Even in a game of chess you have to be prepared for the opposing player to do something you couldn't predict. But Madara had been sure of what was going to happen next. He knew what Konoha was going to do before Konoha knew they were going to do it. Madara had played everyone in his little game of world domination. Rai's mood sank further as he continued to brood on what turns the future could take.

"General Ravenheart!"

The elder Ravenheart snapped out of his brooding to turn to the messenger. "Report." he said in a stern tone.

The messenger halted and took a brief moment to catch his breath. "General, your presence has been requested at the medical tent. There was a woman brought with the last group of refugees. She is severely injured, but alive. The medics are stabilizing her now."

Rai resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This was nothing new. There had been several of these instances since the information had arrived that Myra was suspected to be dead. Anytime a woman was brought in that remotely fit Myra's description, they would call for him. The first few times he had gone with all the hope he could muster. After the hundredth or so time, he was getting annoyed by the interruption. The last woman had red hair and looked nothing like Myra, what were his subordinates thinking? Kakashi had stepped in after that, and Rai had been grateful. But still, he had not completely given up hope that they would find her. "What is her condition?"

The messenger looked grave. "General Kakashi said it didn't look good, but he also said you would know more when you saw her."

Rai raised an eyebrow. If Kakashi had sent the messenger than it was possible that this time… His heart nearly seized in his chest from the elation. General Ravenheart didn't need to be told a second time. He raced from the command tent directly to the medical city not far away. He found Kakashi easily. "Well?"

The Copy ninja nodded and the both started walking towards the hospital. "It IS Myra. She has several broken bones and severe internal injuries. The group that found her at the base of a cliff say it's a miracle she is still breathing, let alone alive. The medics are with her now."

It seemed like hours that the two waited, but it was minutes when the head medic exited the surgery room. Rai stood from his seated position to greet the doctor. Kakashi stayed seated. The Doctor pulled his mask away and sighed heavily. "General, I am sorry, but there is not much I can do except keep her comfortable and see that she isn't in any pain."

Rai braced himself. "What is the prognosis?"

The doctor let out another sigh. "I'm not sure. There is a discrepancy with what I know to be medical fact and the miracle that is occurring in that room. She should have died from the fall, but she did not."

"Fall?" Rai questioned.

"Her injuries are a classic example of a fall from an extreme height. Shattered bones, ruptured internal organs and blood loss. If the information I have is correct, her disappearance was little over a week ago. I can estimate her fall at about the same time. With internal bleeding and the broken bones I am surprised she is not fighting sepsis or gangrene as a result." The doctor ran a hand over his tired looking face.

"Will she live?" That was the question Rai needed to have answered.

The doctor sighed again, and Rai really wanted to beat the guy senseless because of it. "The miracle I spoke of is that she is breathing on her own. Her body is healing like it should, but there is no discernable brain activity. The lights are on, but no one is home. She may have survived the fall and the last week without proper medical care, food or water, but I can't say that she will survive much longer. Her body is extremely weak. Even if we are able to heal her injuries, her mind is lost. So when you ask the question, will she live, I can't give you an answer of yes or no. Her heart and lungs are functioning, but without the brain activity can you truly say she is alive? Is it possible that she has passed on and her body hasn't expired yet? That is poss…"

Rai narrowed his eyes. "She isn't dead. As long as her body takes in breath, she isn't dead and there is hope."

A nurse exited the surgery room and handed the doctor a chart. "Excuse me for a moment General." The doctor flipped the paper on the chart, "hm"ing as he did. After a few more tense moments the doctor put the chart under his arm and looked back at Rai. "General Rai, may I ask you a few things about your daughter?"

Rai nodded. The doctor shifted uneasily on his feet. "Do you know your daughter has been through child birth?"

The elder Ravenheart chuckled. "I know of my grandson."

The tension in the doctor's stance eased slightly, but still did not dissipate completely. "Then she is married, or has a significant other?"

"That she has, your point doctor." Rai asked with a twinge more annoyance in his tone than he meant.

The unease in the doctor's frame returned. "Well, you may wish to get him here quickly because there are two more miracles that will need to be discussed should her condition become further compromised." The doctor handed Rai the chart.

Rai snatched the chart and read over it. His eyes widened and he read over the chart again. The shocked General sat down next to Kakashi, who had been snoozing the whole time. Kakashi woke with a start when Rai handed him the chart. Kakashi read over the chart and even his eye became wide with shock. Kakashi couldn't contain his chuckle. "The boy always wanted a large family."

Rai shook his head. "I will send word to Naruto. He will want to know that we found her anyway. But she should be the one that should tell him."

The doctor shook his head. "General Ravenheart, I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation."

Rai stood up and loomed over the doctor. "No doctor, I don't think you understand. MYRA. IS. ALIVE. I want her prepped and ready to move as quickly as possible."

The doctor's eyes narrowed. "Moving your daughter could kill her and her unborn children. I will NOT allow her to be moved. If you care at all for her, you will listen my advice and not make a foolish decision based on an emotional reaction to her being found."

Rai allowed the doctor to fully understand why he was a General of the combined forces. The elder Ravenheart let the constraints on his chakra slip causing Kakashi to step back a little. The lights in the hallway began to flicker and the space became electrified with power. He voice was harsh whisper. "You will have her ready to travel as soon as possible."

The doctor, though inwardly quaking in his boots, outwardly refused to be intimidated. His expression hardened. "You push your power General and it leads me to believe that your actions are that of a distraught father that will not face facts. I sympathize with your predicament, but I cannot in all good conscience allow you to put her life in any more danger. As Head Medical Ninja of this facility and of the Waterfall village, I am declaring Myra Ravenheart a non combatant casualty under the protection of the Waterfall village. I am also declaring her father, General Ravenheart, emotionally compromised and incapable of making competent decisions on her behalf. Therefore, any decisions concerning her medical care will be under my purview until such time as the father of her unborn children can be found, contacted and consulted in regards to both her health, and the health of the children."

Rai continued to stare. He could tell the doctor was nervous and even a bit scared. But the doctor had years of practice keeping those emotions in check. Despite the tiny bead of sweat trickling down the doctor's brow, the man was not going to back down. A hand on Rai's shoulder brought him out of his thoughts. He snapped his head around to Kakashi. Kakashi sighed. "Send word to Naruto and let Naruto deal with him."

The anger at the situation turned to grand hilarity. Waterfall didn't know what they had gotten themselves into. Rai thought he was a pussy cat compared to the rage and anger they would face when Naruto found that she was alive, and here. Rai turned back to the doctor. "You will continue to treat her injuries with the prospects that she will pull through." It was not a question, it was a statement of fact. The doctor nodded, letting out the breath he was holding.

Rai shrugged off Kakashi's hand and turned away from the doctor. "Then I will send word to Naruto Uzumaki, he will be pleased to know she is alive." and he walked away.

The doctor paled. "N-n-naru-t-to Uzumaki?" he stuttered out. "The Kyuubi Jinchuriki?"

Kakashi smirked evilly under his mask. "Not anymore…"

0 - 0 - 0

Rai exited the hospital in waterfall and let the rain that was gently falling to wash away his anger. The doctor was right to a certain extent. Moving Myra could cause more damage than he wanted to risk, but he had to get her back to Konoha. Naruto would be the only one that could possibly pull her back. The old coot back in the hospital didn't know it, but Rai did. Naruto and Myra were connected by forces greater than any of them. Even if she was trapped in the Ethereal, her spirit would have sought him out, so it was possible that she was in Konoha, or close to it. If Naruto came to Waterfall, it was possible that she would follow. At the moment, all Rai had was speculation and conjecture, but since Myra could not be moved… Naruto needed to come to Waterfall.

Black wings fluttered to Rai's shoulder. "How long would it take you to fly to Konoha?"

"_About a day if I did not stop, but I have a feeling that this requires a bit more haste."_ Edgar answered honestly.

"Then get going as if the hounds of Hell are nipping at you heels. Tell Naruto she is alive and she needs him."

"_I will only have to tell him she is alive. My suggestion would be to have Kakashi etch a Hiriashin seal on the door to her room. Kakashi knows the seal, though he was never able to duplicate the jutsu. I will be sure to mention that the seal exists, though I doubt Naruto will need it."_

"Would you just go…" Rai shooed the bird from his shoulder.

0 - 0 - 0

_Back in Konoha…_

Sasuke raced towards his house, Itachi keeping pace without any problems. The brothers would have missed the running Sakura, had it not been for the wail of the baby in her arms. Sasuke veered off his path directly for the frazzled and frightened woman. Itachi followed, but at a slight distance. The younger Uchiha alighted in front of his wife. "Sakura!"

He was met with a hard right cross to his jaw that sent him flying several feet. "Don't you come near me until I know who you are!"

Itachi wisely stayed back out of her reach. Sakura had obviously been introduced to Deuce and was not happy about it in the least. Being introduced to a member of Sasuke's family that was supposedly immobile could make things a little more awkward than they needed to be.

Sasuke picked himself up off the ground, rubbing at his chin. "Damn it Sakura, do you have to hit so hard?" He reached in his mouth and removed a tooth, spitting blood on the ground.

Sakura held Saiyuki protectively. Though her voice carried a deadly edge to it, her tone shook with the fear she was feeling. "How do I know it's you?"

Sasuke knew she was upset and could obviously tell that her faith in him had been shaken. He thought it best to just humor her. "The night I left the village was the first time you ever confessed that you loved me."

Her eyes narrowed. "Everyone who's heard the story knows that."

"Myra was the first person to get me to admit to myself that I loved you in return." he grumbled reluctantly under his breath. It wasn't something that he wanted to admit to anyone, let alone himself. Not the part about loving Sakura, more the part that it took Myra to get him to stop denying it. "But before that I knew that I loved you. It was that moment at the bench that I knew it. Kami Sakura, had you looked at me… Just one look is all it would have taken and I wouldn't have been able to leave. But at the time I had too."

Sakura's eyes widened before he could see the relief written in her expression. "Sasuke-kun!" she ran into his arms.

He caught her and just held her close. They both had to take a moment to calm. Sakura sobbed into his chest until she was finally able to stop. She hated showing any kind of weakness, but damn it, she was scared out of her mind and nothing was making sense. He hated it even more, but a little emotion wasn't going to kill them. The baby in Sakura's arms was quieted by the warmth of the family around her. "Are you okay?" Sasuke asked tenderly.

Sakura sniffled and pulled away. "I'm okay." A glowing green hand lifted to his chin. "But Minato, he's… Minato is… I don't know what he is."

Sasuke sighed. "I don't know either. There are a lot of things going on that I don't understand at the moment."

"I can shed some light on what's going on." Itachi made to move closer.

Sasuke pushed Sakura and his daughter behind him. "I still don't trust you."

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at Itachi. "I thought… Saskuke, what is going on?"

Itachi shrugged. "It's a story I would be happy to tell when the time is more appropriate. Right now, we are here to apprehend the second clone."

"Second? You mean there's more than one?" Sakura turned to Sasuke.

"Actually there are several thousand. Madara had Kabuto resurrect the entire Uchiha clan to as far back as he could find DNA remnants. The good news is that none of them have the Sharingan ability. The bad news is they are all loyal to Madara. He said he removed the two fatal flaws of the clan." Itachi told them.

"Hn." Sasuke snorted.

"As I said earlier, I will be happy to regale you with all the information you think you are going to need, but now is not the time. Where is Deuce?"

0 - 0 - 0

Deuce bolted from the florist shop. He was running for the main gates of Konoha. The rendezvous point was just beyond the boundaries of the village. If he could just get to the gates, they wouldn't chase him. He could fool the guards at the gates into believing that Naruto needed to be detained. Just as the gates were in sight, Deuce slowed and stopped in a narrow alleyway to just wait for the right moment. Besides he needed to calm himself before he tried to pull off the cool and aloof Sasuke. The clone closed his eyes, taking in several deep breaths, and willed his heart to slow. It wasn't until he could hear the growling over the rushing blood in his ears that Deuce realized that he should have just left the village and be damned with trying to detain Naruto.

Naruto grabbed Deuce from behind. Deuce, really not wanting to be airborne again, slipped out of the giant purple knot, running for the mouth of the alleyway. Now he understood in clear detail the reasons behind NOT wearing clothing or accessories an enemy could use as an advantage. The rope went slack in Naruto's grasp, but he simply grasped it tighter. The blonde's hand whipped back and he used the rope in has grip exactly like a whip to wrap around Deuces ankle. The clone's forward momentum was halted, as he ate concrete of the pavement below.

He didn't have time to recover before Naruto's foot cratered his stomach and he reflexively spit out the air in his lungs along with any gravel that had been in his mouth. There was no time to breathe as his back was now imbedded into the wall of the building flanking the alley. Deuce was dazed and bleeding from the mouth, but he had time to have thoughts of what brought him to this retched village. He hadn't realized he would be dealing with someone this powerful. Madara had described Naruto as a pansy, spouting words of love and understanding while the enemy to beat him senseless. Where were the inspirational words? Where was Naruto's unwavering optimism? Why the HELL didn't Nakamiko kill him when she had the chance? Deuce wasn't strong enough to take on the Jinchuriki.

His mind reeled with that thought. He had taken the most damage during the training drills. Course, Deuce liked to believe that he took the most damage because he preferred to be in the thick of battle. Trace had teased him mercilessly about being a 'piss poor copy'. Nakamiko never made a comment on the subject, she was too busy being perfect. And now Deuce understood why he was given the task of kidnapping the boy while his other clone siblings were given tasks that required more skill, more finesse, more brains. It was because he didn't have them. He was defective and wrong. He wasn't given the tools he needed to be as strong as his Original, nor was he given the right praise and motivation to serve his Master. His siblings knew it, his Master knew it, and now Deuce knew it too.

But, he wasn't going to die here. If anyone was going to kill him, it wasn't going to be Naruto. The jinchuriki didn't have the right to kill him, that pleasure belonged to Madara. Deuce was going to show them all that he could be just as powerful as the rest of them. He was going to prove that he wasn't defective. He was going to do what Nakamiko couldn't. He was going to take on the Jinchuriki and win. If he could hold on to that goal, Deuce could do it. With as much speed and strength as he could find in his broken body, Deuce threw a punch at Naruto, connecting with his jaw. Naruto didn't budge. Deuce followed with a right cross, connecting with Naruto's cheek. The sound from the impact sounded like a thunderclap that echoed throughout the narrow alleyway.

Naruto's head whipped to the side, but his body remained ridged. He kept his head turned while the sound continued to echo in his ears. Slowly, Naruto turned his feral red hate filled eyes at the clone. The growl emanating from the blonde's chest meant he was not pleased at all. Those red slitted eyes of a demon ready to kill his prey focused on Deuce. The clone tumbled through the debris of the building when Naruto returned the favor. There was a cacophony of screaming people, snapping metal, splintering wood, and hurried footsteps to clear the area.

Deuce sat up, shook off the blow and pushed off some sheetrock. Slowly, with the grace of a predator, Naruto stalked through the gaping hole of the building towards Deuce. The clone stood up and wiped the blood from the side of his mouth. "The information on you said you were prone to spouting idiotic idealism rather than fighting."

Naruto stalked closer. **"Sorry to disappoint you. I'm all out of the fancy words today. Maybe when I'm feeling less like killing you I can be poetic."**

Deuce laughed and wobbled a bit while standing up. "I'm going to kill you, you know. I just thought that you would want to get all that crap out of the way before I did it, mostly so I could laugh in your face."

Naruto stopped and his eyes narrowed. **"I not going to waist my time. You aren't worth my energy."**

"What, does my face bother you that much? Are you living out some weird fantasy about killing my Original?"

Naruto punched him through another wall just to get him to stop talking. More chunks of wood and plaster flew through the air. Deuce was lying on the ground groaning in pain. The blond picked him up by the scruff of his neck. **"Until recently, I've had this problem. I've felt like I lived in a world made of eggshells."**

Naruto slammed him into the ground.** "Always taking constant care to not hurt other people with whatever I did. I plastered a fake smile on my face and pretended the world was bright and shinny, even when I knew it wasn't."**

Deuce was tossed high into the air and in a flash, Naruto was above him. The axe kick to Deuce's head sent the clone like a bullet to the ground below. Naruto was right there waiting to see if the clone would move again. Even the blonde was a bit shocked that the guy was still moving. Naruto crouched over him. **"I looked for the best in people because I thought there had to be something better than all the shit in the world. I wanted to change it and I thought if I just believed in a better place, it could happen. But in the back of my mind, I knew that if I lost control, even for a moment, someone I care about would get hurt or die. But you're just a clone, a simple shadow of Teme. You're not even a real human. So, what we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose." **Naruto grinned and allowed his fangs to show proudly. **"I don't have to be the good guy."**

Deuce had heard the words, but they were muffled by the ringing in his ears. He felt himself being hoisted up by his throat. Naruto didn't care about the crowd that was gathering around him, nor did he really care about the ANBU now surrounding the scene. The blonde raised his right hand, allowing his claw tips to glow red with the fires of his rage. Searing claws rendered flesh, leaving angry cauterized claw marks across Deuce's face. Blood dripped from Naruto's fingers. **"As for your face being an issue, now everyone can tell the difference."** Naruto released the clone, who was screaming like a little girl with the pain of having his pretty face marred beyond recognition.

Deuce landed in a kneeling position at Naruto's feet, his hands covering his face. Naruto sneered down at the clone. **"I'm not going to kill you, I'll let Madara do that when he finds out you failed. Go back to that Bastard and tell him I will avenge Myra's death by taking his life."** Naruto turned and started to walk away.

Deuce was enraged. All he wanted to do was wipe that sneer off of Naruto's face. With everything Deuce had left in him, he stood up and charged at Naruto with a jagged metal piece of debris that he could reach.

There were gasps and screams of the crowd and Naruto turned. In very slow motion he saw Deuce grab the jagged metal piece and charge right for him. The blonde sighed. So much for getting a locator seal close to Madara. Naruto flashed behind the clone and wrapped his large arms around the clone's neck and head. **"I'll give you one last chance to walk away with your miserable existence."**

Deuce stabbed Naruto in the ribs with the metal piece. Naruto grunted with the pain and squeezed tighter. It was getting harder for the clone to breath. He knew he was going to die here, but not without getting some satisfaction first. "Madara will rule this world, and…" Deuce's words were cut off by the sickening sound bones breaking, blood spilling, and air escaping from his chest. The last thing the clone saw before his vision faded to black was Naruto's clawed hand holding his heart outside of his chest. The smell of the blood and gore tickled at Naruto's senses. He was almost purring with the satisfaction of feeling the squishy muscle of his prey's heart in his grasp.

Naruto let go of the heart, which bounced in splash of red, and removed his arm from Deuce's chest leaving a bloody void. The clone crumpled in a heap at his feet. The blonde took a step back. His breathing was labored and for some reason he felt his strength ebbing away. He looked at the metal piece protruding from his side, noticing it's rusted color. In the back of his mind, he knew it was going to be a problem. Something told him he needed to get it out of his body quickly. Without really thinking too much on the subject, he pulled the iron rebar from his side. There were screams and shouts of horror that Naruto had killed Sasuke. ANBU had kept their distance in fear of the jinchuiki's rage. Those shouts and screams faded in Naruto's ears.

He took another step back, leaving a bloody footprint as he did. Naruto had bled before, but usually his healing had kicked in to stop it instantaneously. This wound, though healing, was not healing as quickly as he would like, but it wasn't going to stop him from returning to Minato. He ignored the shouts for him to stop. He ignored everything. His main concern now was getting back to his son. Naruto took two or three more steps before the agony and pain flooded his body. Before he could really protest the blackness of unconsciousness, his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the ground.

0 - 0 - 0

Kitsuya had waited over eighty years to have her back in his arms and now she was here. Not that he didn't know what to do with her. He knew EXACTLY what he WANTED to do, but now was not the right time. It would take a while for the girl to regain consciousness and more than that, it would take a little time for her memories to return. For now, he needed to get out of here. He stood up with the girl in his arms. Nakamiko's arms swathed around his neck, and she snuggled into Kitsuya's chest. A please smirk spread across the demon's face and he couldn't help but nuzzle her hair affectionately. He walked to the door and slowly opened it, peeking out to see if there was anyone in the hallway. Kitsuya thanked Mother Universe for granting him the luck of not having anyone in the room next door when he put his fist through the wall. If there had been, the escape would be more problematic.

He walked casually down the corridor with the girl, nestled in his arms. He even passed a few nurses and other medical types on the way to the hospital entrance and the freedom beyond. The demon had a smug smile on his lips as he passed the enraged looking Tsunade. She was yelling at the frazzled looking Shizune who was trying to explain how she lost the girl. Kitsuya ducked into a small closet to keep an ear on the conversation.

"Honestly Lady Tsunade, I only left her alone for a moment. I don't know where she could have gone or how the hole got in the wall. All I know is that when I came back she was gone."

"What do you mean gone?"

"Just what I said, gone. I don't know how to explain it. As far as we know, she hasn't left the building, so we are starting a hospital wide search for her."

Kitsuya bit his lower lip. The jutsu he used to mask his and the girl's chakra was simple enough, almost second nature to him. However, maybe it wasn't as subtle as he had once thought. It was a genjutsu. The genjutsu cast an air of non hostility and belonging around the user, and since the genjutsu was cast on the user, not anyone else, it was subtle enough that most well trained jonin never noticed. Tsunade could have looked right at him and she would have seen Kitsuya carrying the girl. Heck she probably did see Kitsuya carrying the girl down the hallway, but her mind hadn't caught up to register what she saw. The idea was to just get out of the hospital before they noticed she was gone. Now that everyone was looking, his little plan wasn't going to work.

The demon shook his head and sighed. That was the problem with this particular genjutsu, once someone know what they were looking for, they would notice. He wondered how long it would take for Tsunade to registar…

"Shizune…" Tsunade said with authority.

"Yes my Lady?"

"Search the hospital for a tall man, red hair, dressed in all black carrying the girl. It's very possible that he's already out of the hospital."

Kitsuya snorted. If he just hadn't stopped to listen to the conversation, he very well could be half way out of the village by now. He cursed his curiosity and self centered pride. The girl groaned in his arms and started to stir. His concentration was taken off the conversation and was directed to the woman in his arms. He looked down at her. It didn't take long for sooty eyelashes to flutter open. Nakamiko blinked a few times and was about to scream. A large hand covered her mouth to contain the scream. _**"Shhh… You wouldn't want to be found in a broom closet with a demon would you?"**_

Nakamiko's eyes widened. She wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to do. She was alive and in his arms. And it felt nice. Her eyes narrowed, sending him a clear message that he needed to put her down.

His eyes narrowed in response. _**"Are you going to scream? Cause if you do, we will both be in serious trouble."**_

Nakamiko shook her head in the negative. Kitsuya slowly removed his hand.

"_**I am sure you are questioning why I let you live. Those answers can be found later as soon as we depart from the hospital, but for now we need an exit strategy."**_

The girl nodded. "If you could put me down, Lord Kyuubi?"

"_**Kitsuya… My name is Kitsuya. You had some other names for me, but that is the one I prefer," **_he grinned lecherously,_** "in public."**_

She blinked at him, not really understanding. "If you could put me down, please Kitsuya." He did as she asked, but held her extremely close. She felt warm and… and she couldn't really define what else she felt. As confused as she was, she didn't know how to react to the demon who was holding her so closely. "I will need to be able to move as well."

Kitsuya frowned and gave the girl some breathing room. _**"There are several people out side this door, and then who knows how many more between us and the front doors."**_

"What floor are we on?" She casually asked while peeking out the closet door.

The demon blinked. _**"I believe the third floor."**_

"There are windows on the opposite side of this door. It would make quite a commotion should we simply break through the windows and run from there. If they are looking for us at every turn, a transformation would not work. Would not making an appeal to the Hokage be easier?" She closed the closet door.

"_**She will not be happy with me, or with you for that matter."**_ Kitsuya grumbled.

Nakamiko blinked. "I am not concerned about the Lady Hokage's emotional state of mind."

Kitsuya chuckled. _**"Neither am I." **_He sobered for a moment. _**"But neither am I willing to let you out of my sight and she will want to take you for interrogation."**_

The girl tilted her head. "I understand that I am, or was an enemy. It is only natural that the Lady Hokage treat me as such."

He stroked her cheek. _**"I will not let you go again."**_

Her eyes closed and she leaned into his touch. She allowed the feeling to wash over her, giving her the courage to do what she had to do. With a sigh, she reached up and moved his hand from her cheek. Nakamiko was finding it extremely difficult to think clearly. Everything felt so right and she knew it was, but not now. She shook off the feeling and placed her hand on his chest to move him back slightly. "I will be ok Kitsuya."

There was a deep growl that she could feel through her hand. _**"But I may not be."**_ He knew they wouldn't be able to leave the hospital without causing serious damage to the hospital, or other people. Not that Kitsuya really cared… because he didn't… but, there were other people that did who would be very cross with him. Since discretion was the better part of valor… _**"Then we shall appeal to the Slug Princess and be done with this."**_

0 - 0 - 0

Minato sat in the garden near the pagoda the Kyuubi had been using as a home for the last few weeks. "Will Gramps be moving in with us now?" the boy asked honestly.

Myra floated near by. _"I don't know Sweaty. He isn't human, so I can't exactly ask him to live like one. It would be nice to have him around, but that is entirely up to him."_

"Why would it be nice? Once more person to cook for?" He looked up at her.

Myra shrugged. _"I like cooking for everyone. It makes me feel special."_

"Yeah I know." Minato became pensive. "I told you, you would be pissed about the kitchen."

Myra let out a deep sigh. _"Please watch your language… I would prefer you not to become a potty mouth like your father. And I am not THAT mad about the kitchen. But I do wish that your father had taken out his aggression on something other than my kitchen."_

Minato scrunched up his features and pouted slightly. He really didn't care about the cussing thing. If it would make her happy, then he could agree to not do it. At least not cuss in front of her. Myra smiled and shook her head. He would learn eventually. Myra looked off in the distance wondering what was taking Naruto so long when she felt the tug on her consciousness. Something was wrong with Naruto. She needed to get to him. _"Minato, we need to get to find your father."_

Minato stood up. "What is it?"

"_It's not good, what ever it is. Find your uncle."_

Minato tilted his head. "Which one?"

Myra smiled. _"The grumpy one."_

The boy nodded. "Uncle Sasuke, got it."

"_Stay with him. And please, do not allow him to hurt Itachi. Without Itachi I would not be here. It will give you something to do."_ She started to fade.

"But Mama, I'm just a little kid, what can I do against Uncle Sasuke?" The boy whined.

Myra smiled. _"Itachi seems to believe he deserves any ire his younger brother sends in his direction. Those two need to talk. But I will worry about that later."_ She put her hands on her hips and looked at her son seriously. _"Now, your mission should you choose to accept it is: One, find your Uncles. Two, keep Sasuke from seriously hurting Itachi because Itachi will not defend himself, which leads to part three of your mission. Protect Itachi with any means you can think of, which includes appealing your Aunt Sakura for assistance if need be. And last, do not leave the presence of your Uncle Sasuke. Stay with him at all times. If you are with him, I know you are safe. Even if Kitsuya comes looking for you, do not go with him."_

Minato had nodded in understanding to each of her requests, but her last instruction caused him to pause. "But Mama… It's Gramps… Shouldn't I…"

Myra held up her hand to stop him and then leaned down to be eyelevel with him. _"I know Little One, but there are very grownup things going on right now. I love him as much as you do." _She smiled faintly with that thought, he was a part of the family whether the old demon liked it or not. _"And on most days, I would trust him with my life as well as yours. But there are things going on here that even I do not have all the information on as of yet. Please, until I or your father tell you it's safe, stay with Sasuke. And if Fluffles says anything about it, tell him he can find me, and take it up with me. That will protect your Uncle Sasuke from Kitsuya's ire. Now go…"_

The boy sighed, a bit disheartened by the idea that he wasn't safe with the Kyuubi, but he would stick to what his mother said. Minato closed his eyes and tried to hone in on Sasuke. An intense look of concentration came over his brow. Myra knew she needed to go, but she needed to be sure he could find where he needed to be. _"Can you find him?"_

The boy's shoulders slumped and he hung his head. "No…" He sounded defeated and upset.

"_Who can you find?"_ Her eyes lit up with a mother's knowing smile.

Minato closed his eyes again and concentrated. It didn't take him long to open his eyes wide with shock. "I found Yuki-chan!"

Myra's smile only got wider. _"And who is she with?"_

His eyes shifted back and forth like he was searching a mental map of the area the small girl child was in. "She's with Aunt Sakura, and… and… Uncle Sasuke… And Tachi." He looked up with her with a huge grin. "I think their headed for the Hokage building."

"_Then meet them there. I am sure we will all convene shortly."_

The boy nodded and bounded off in the shadows towards the Hokage building. He still didn't want to be seen by anyone who didn't need to know. Myra watched her son until he bounded out of her sight.

Minato stopped suddenly and turned back to look at the garden. He had seen the flash in his peripheral vision, and was now hearing the loud crash of thunder from the cloudless sky. He wondered just how much longer his mother was going to be able to waste chakra like that before she couldn't do it any longer. He pumped the chakra to his feet and bounded off towards the Hokage's office once again. They needed to find her body, and they needed to do it soon.

0 - 0 - 0

Kitsuya's hand was on the door handle of the broom closet. He looked over the girl with pleading eyes and was about to push the door open and reveal their cozy little hiding place when all hell broke loose.

"LADY TSUNADE! Naruto has murdered Sasuke!"

Kitsuya didn't exactly know if he should be extremely happy about this or not. The demon couldn't contain the snort, and mumble of _**"About time."**_

His hand stilled on the door. Nakamiko looked at him strangely. "Are we not vacating the closet?"

"_**At the moment we have an opportunity. The Brat has done something I never thought he had in him. It may give us the distraction we need to leave the hospital without any obstruction. Now shush, I want to know what happened."**_

The girl huffed and rolled her eyes, but stayed silent.

The Hokage turned to the yelling orderly with a rather shocked expression on her face. "What?"

The orderly skidded to a stop. "Naruto… He just… It's just awful. Come quickly. Naruto collapsed shortly after he… We brought Sasuke's body and…" the orderly gulped, "his heart into the morgue. Naruto is being rushed to intensive care under heavy guard. He's bleeding profusely and has a collapsed lung. According to the duty nurse, I am supposed to tell you that his healing or rather that he isn't healing like he should be."

That got the Kyuubi's attention. There were only one thing that could truly hinder the healing abilities of a demon, or any of the chakra creatures. Kitsuya rubbed at his still raw wrists, and now that he thought about it, his ankles itched too. It didn't matter if the shackles were supposed to be metaphysical, cold iron still hurt whether it was real or not. Sasuke had stabbed Naruto with something made of iron, so Kitsuya couldn't blame Naruto for ripping out the Bastard's heart. But he would have to congratulate the Kit later. The closet door burst open.

Tsunade was seriously getting tired of the shocks, starts, strange coincidences and just crazy shit happening to her today. First thing that happened to her today was her bath robe going missing after her morning bath. It took her twenty minutes to find it after she was sure she put it in the same place by the tub like every morning. And what was worse about finding the robe on the other side of her spacious apartment, she could have sworn she could smell the tell tale signs of Jaraiya's cologne all over it. _Damn ghost better not be getting a look at something in death I almost killed him for in life. _She thought idly.

Once she got to her office, she was confronted by a determined Sasuke wanting to take a baby into a war zone. She had heard crazier ideas, but it was ironic that it was Sasuke was proposing said crazy idea to bring back Naruto and not the other way around. Moments before Sasuke was going to leave to put his plan into action, a clone is presented in her office for inspection. The clone was good, but definitely not Myra. Shizune lost the clone, but the clone is being rescued by the Kyuubi. Now, Naruto had murdered Sasuke, the Kyuubi is in the closet with Myra's clone, Sasuke was in two pieces in the morgue, and Naruto was in intensive care under guard and not healing. Today was not turning out to be a good day.

Two fingers went to the bridge of her nose. After a moment Shizune had seriously thought the elder blonde Hokage had lost her mind. The Hokage has started to laugh. It was the laugh of a woman that had gone mad. Shizune took a few side steps away from the laughing woman. Tsunade rubbed her the tears from her eyes and let out a deep sigh. She stared at the Kyuubi, who was staring at her like she had gone around the bend as well. Nakamiko, who was standing behind Kistuya had a confused tilt her head and a curious look to her eyes.

Tsunade centered herself and took a deep, cleansing, and calming breath. Breathing in and out a few more times to just let it all go. She turned a very cheerful smile to the ex Kyuubi and took a few steps closer to him. She still had that cheerful smile that was actually beginning to give Kitsuya a creepy chill down his spine. No, he wasn't afraid of her, just that smile.

Tsunade blinked innocently at him a few times, still with that psychotic cheerful smile on her face. And then she exploded. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!"

Kitsuya used his pinky to clear out his ringing ear. The orderly and Shizune were cowering off in corner, and Nakamiko had ducked behind Kitsuya. She was actually feeling a bit afraid of the woman. Fear was a new emotion for the clone and every nerve in her body was telling her to run for her life. Kitsuya seemed to know this and reached behind him discretely to grasp Nakamiko's hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze to let her know everything was going to fine. In the meantime, Kitsuya seemed to be the only one calm enough, or brave enough, to respond to the fuming blonde in front of him. He kept his tone impassive and cold. _**"Many things are going on here and I suggest we hold our explanations for a later time. The Brat is bleeding to death, and you stand here doing nothing."**_

"Naruto will be fine once his…"

There was a vicious growl to Kitsuya's voice. _**"Has your age addled your mind and your hearing Slug girl? Did you not hear that flesh bag tell you Naruto was bleeding to death?"**_

Tsunade calmed considerably. She had remembered hearing that, but with the Kyuubi's appearance, she had just lost it. "Yes I did."

Kitsuya's eyes narrowed. _**"Then I suggest we go do something about it."**_ and he turned to the orderly still cowering on the other side of the hallway. _**"Where is Naruto?"**_

The orderly's eyes darted to Tsunade first. The Hokage nodded, giving her silent permission to speak. The orderly swallowed. "He's… He's being taken into surgery on the first floor."

Tsunade nodded and turned to the Fox. "I assume that you know what is keeping him from healing."

"_**For once, you assume correctly where I am concerned. We must hurry or he will die."**_

The Hokage crossed her arms over her chest. "And the girl?"

Nakamiko pressed herself against Kistuya's back. She didn't want to be separated from him and she didn't really know or understand why, but he was the only thing that made sense at the moment. She wasn't going to give up that feeling of safety. She needed that right now. A growl sounded low in his throat and reverberated through his chest. The sound was menacing to everyone but Nakamiko. It made her feel even more safe, more protected. _**"She goes where I go. I go where she goes."**_ There was no room for argument in his answer to Tsunade's question.

"She isn't Myra." Tsunade said as if he didn't already know, but it was his reaction that caused the Hokage to really get the shock of her day, year, of her life.

The growling stopped and his eyes softened. He turned to the girl still hiding behind him and looked on her with something Tsunade would never thought to see from him. There was love in his eyes and a longing born of years with out it. Gentle as the breeze through the trees the human form demon in front of the Hokage caressed the girl's cheek and smiled. _**"I know."**_ Kitsuya shook off the moment, tightening his grip on Nakamiko's hand, though not enough to crush it. He returned to mask of indifference and gazed back to Tsunade. _**"We waste time and Naruto looses more life blood. Lead the way or I will find him myself and I will not be kind to any that stand in my way."**_

Tsunade nodded and started to make her way to surgery. The Kyuubi no Kitsune practically dragging the poor girl next to him. Her day was just going to get stranger and stranger as it went on. If she wasn't going into surgery, she would be making a detour to the nearest bar. She really needed a drink.

0 - 0 - 0

Sasuke and Itachi were hiding in the trees just outside of the Hokage building. Sakura had gone inside already to get into the Hokage's office and open the window. The idea was a simple one. Sakura would go in as if nothing was wrong, go up to the Hokage's office and open the window, draping her jacket out to let them know it was safe. They would wait there until Tsunade got back from the hospital. The boy, was currently shadowing Sasuke and Itachi trying to approach without scaring the daylights out of them and getting attacked.

Minato could tell that his Uncles were on high alert, probably because Itachi was supposed to be dead, mostly anyway, and Sasuke had just been murdered by his father. Yeah, Minato had heard that bit of news on his way to the Hokage building. Damn clone got what he deserved, but he wasn't going to tell any of the villagers the truth just yet. Things were getting more and more complicated by the minute. Perhaps Minato didn't need to be as stealthy as he thought he needed to be.

The tree rustled above Sasuke and he looked up into a pair of very mischievous violet eyes. "Mama says I'm supposed to stick to you like glue."

Sasuke groaned and ran a weary hand down his face. "Not now Minato."

Itachi blinked and stared at the boy. "Minato?"

The boy in question smiled. "Hi ya, Uncle Tachi. Pleased 'ta meet 'cha."

Itachi took in the boy's whiskered face, violet eyes, and scruffy orange blonde hair. A slight curl to his lip formed. The boy was a spitting image of Naruto at twelve with obvious differences. The biggest in Itachi's mind being that the boy was only supposed to be a few months old. "Aren't you a bit young to be jumping around in trees?"

Minato tilted his head. "I'm not explaining it 'cause I don't understand it."

Sasuke let out a heavy sigh and put it into terms Itachi could understand. "Its a Bloodline Limit."

Itachi nodded in understanding. "Now I understand why you said Duece's task would not be as easy as expected. Madara does not know of this. He presumes that Minato is merely a child of four months and helpless."

Minato smiled. "Well then I guess he's in for a shock." there was a silent pause from the boy. "Who's Madara?"

"The bad guy that wants to hurt you, you mother and your father." Sasuke answered the boy.

"Do not forget he wants to rule the world under his tyrannical thumb." Itachi added as an afterthought.

Minato blinked a few times looking extremely confused. "Is it a demon dinosaur?"

The brother's looked at the boy now just as confused.

"Excuse me?" Itachi asked.

The boy shrugged. "Well if we're gonna have ta fight the thing, I just wanna know if it's a demon tyrannosaurus or a regular tyrannosaurs. I mean seriously," Minato looked at his Uncles like they were stupid, "have you seen a t-rex's thumb? Do they even have thumbs?"

Sasuke looked at Itachi and then it started as a snicker. The snicker turned into a suppressed series of snorts and then they neither the Uchiha brothers could contain the laughter. Minato seemed the only one left out of the loop. "Hey! What's so funny?" the boy whined.

When Sasuke had calmed down from his full on belly laugh, he let out a large sigh and coughed to return to his normal scowl, but there was no denying the mirth behind his dark eyes. Minato's naiveté was truly refreshing, but it could be dangerous. The boy was only four months old, it wasn't possible that he could know everything he should at his age. The light of mirth died in Sasuke's eyes as he realized that the worst thing the boy should be worrying about would be how to chew on his toes.

"Minato, you shouldn't worry about such things." Sasuke said carefully. "We'll take care of Madara's dinosaur." And he did something he very rarely did. He gave Minato a reassuring smile. "You worry about sticking to me like glue."

Minato narrowed his eyes. Adults were weird, that much he already knew, but this stuff just got weirder and weirder. "Okay." the boy seemed disappointed. "Oh, and I'm supposed to make sure you don't hurt Uncle Tachi. That was the other thing Mama told me."

Sauske grumbled a curse under his breath.

Itachi nodded his head. "I assure you young one, I do not need the assistance."

Minato rolled his eyes and jumped down next to Itachi. "Well that's my job and I'm 'onna do it." He crossed his arms over his chest and set his face in a full on scowl that had no business being on his face. "So there." he nodded his head and gave a little "Hn." just to settle matters.

Sasuke was stifling yet another laugh. This was just not his day. This was not his week. This was not his year. He really just wanted to go home with his wife and daughter and pretend the day never happened. That's what he wanted. But there were other things more pressing than shutting out the world for a little while. Itachi tapped Sasuke bringing the younger Uchiha from his thoughts. Sasuke turned and Itachi pointed to the window at the top of the Hokage building. It had just opened and there was a pink jacket hanging out. It was the signal from Sakura.

The brother's exchanged looks and Sasuke turned back to Minato. "Lets go."

The boy nodded. "Lead the way, Uncle."

0 - 0 - 0


	89. The Last Chapter

NOT A CHAPTER!

I know... I know ... Everyone has been waiting with baited breath to find out what happens next... Well... I have come to a block in the road that I honestly can't fix. I have parts of the next chapter written, but I can't exactly figure out what the heck happens.

I had so many plans, plots and ideas, but the muse just poofed out of my head and that was the end of that. Besides... I have found myself reading over the latest chapters and OMG! O.O I soooo want to see what happens next in the manga and possibly incorporate some of that. Which means... TOTAL REWRITE. And It is going to take a while.

AND... There have been so many mind blowing upsets in the manga that I can't just ignore those... Naruto has living family... WTF?

SOOOooo... As a conselation prize, I am giving you an outline as what I "think" was going to happen.

1.) Naruto and Myra are reunited... and they get her spirit back to her body.

2.) Itachi and Sasuke, violently iron out all the "brotherly love" they have for each other (rather violently) and Itachi finally tells the story about how he killed the Uchiha clan to stop the civil war and to become a spy for Jaraiya within the Akatsuki.

3.) Itachi also has the key to killing Madara for GOOD. (never figured out how that worked BTW)

4.) Kitsuya is able to rekindle more of Nakamiko's memories and things get... Heated (*snickers and snorts*)

5.) Myra is weak from the spirit/body separation thing and is ordered to bed rest for the next 9 months.

6.) Myra teaches Sasuke the "Dream Warrior" technique from her bed.

7.) Naruto, Itachi and Sasuke are tasked with taking out Madara.

8.) HUGE fight that would have been EPIC.

9.) Madara's death and Kitsuya there to eat him...

10.) Everyone lives happily ever after... with a possible sequal hinted too.

I know that this isn't much and I am sure that everyone would have wanted details. But I honestly can't give them to you. Life has been entirely too complicated and entirely too hecktic for me to sit down and write this story. I know I have said before that I would finish... And I do plan on finishing it, however, not in THIS incarnation. I am going to be taking this story down and rewriting it. I let this monster get away from me and I thought that if I went into the future, I would be able to start a completely different time line... I was wrong... And I see that. Now that I know what I did wrong, I can fix those issues and maybe do something even better.

For eveyone that stuck with me this long... I am SOOOOO sorry...

For eveyone that just got here... I am sorry as well.

but I'm not out of the game just yet.

I am still writing... Just not this story.

Once again, THANK YOU!


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